In The Way
by Siriuslover4eva
Summary: Snape is acting strangely toward Harry after he retrieves him from Privet Drive. And what does a missive from Lily have to do with it? Adopted from MollyMorrison! HG RH. COMPLETE!
1. Escape and Treatment

**A/N Hey guys!** I've gone through the story and corrected and changed a few things. Hope you like it and I hope you like it.

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful Saturday morning on Privet Drive, and in fact in all of Little Whinging. The sun was out, and a light breeze perfectly counterbalanced the heat that it put off. Perhaps it was the perfection of the day that emphasized the abnormality of the neighbourhood. No one sat on their porches drinking lemonade, and no children played in the street. A few people could be seen mowing lawns or weeding their perfectly maintained yards, but otherwise no one could be found outside.

Even though it was a picturesque day outside, inside number 4 Privet drive was another matter. Harry Potter, who, since he was a very small child, was always expected to handle all the household chores. But he was, instead, lying on his back on the lumpy mattress in his tiny bedroom on the second floor of said house. Not surprisingly, his monster of an uncle was just outside his door, screaming at him as he undid the multiple padlocks on the outside of his door.

"Boy! What are you doing in there? You had better be ready to get going on your chores; you've already slept half the day away!"

Harry Potter gently hugged his arm to his chest and bit back a moan. Why couldn't he have a normal holiday, with a family that loved him and wanted him alive and well, rather than dead or, if that was not possible, badly injured? Besides, he thought as he heard the last padlock slip open and drag himself slowly to a sitting position with a grimace, the sun had just risen about half an hour ago, not that Vernon Dursley cared. He was glad that he didn't have a mirror for once, as he didn't want to see what he looked like. It had been five days since anyone from the Order had checked in on him, and Hedwig had disappeared before his uncle had boarded up his window, and begun to take out his aggressions upon his nephew.

Still, part of Harry felt that he deserved how he was being treated. He had gotten his godfather killed, his only hope of ever escaping this horrible house disappearing in an instant. All because of a "saving people thing". That, and his miserable progress (or lack thereof) on Occlumency, not assisted by the fact that his worst enemy of a professor had been the teacher. It had been all too easy for Voldemort to trick Harry into doing exactly what he wanted, and it was only by pure luck that Sirius was the only one to lose his life.

Sirius. Harry's heart ached at the thought of him. He pushed his godfather out of his mind and focused on his uncle's furious face. If he didn't pay attention now, he would only get hurt more.

"So, boy, how does it feel to get what you deserve?" Harry remained mute at this. Who was he to argue? "Are you ready to do your chores, or should I teach you another lesson in obedience? I will beat the… freakiness… out of you yet!"

Harry idly wondered if that was possible. Could he have the magic beaten out of him? What would happen to the wizarding world then? The prophecy said that he was the only one who could beat Voldemort, that he had to be the one to do it. Perhaps he should take boxing lessons from his grossly overweight cousin, Dudley? A corner of his mouth quirked up at the idea of beating the scourge of the wizarding world with a few punches.

He saw the expression change on his uncle's face and knew that he had made a mistake. As his uncle's large form loomed in over him, he screamed, "Oh, you think this is funny? I'll teach you to laugh at me!" With that, he raised his arm over his head, and Harry melted back toward the wall, anticipating the pain that was coming.

Instead, he heard a loud popping sound from below. It sounded like someone apparating! Sure enough, a moment later he could hear a male voice. Unfortunately, he could neither recognize nor understand the person, but when his aunt responded her high-pitched voice carried up the stairwell and through the door to his room which still hung ajar.

"Oh no, Harry's not here at the moment. He took a walk, down to the park I think." His aunt seemed to have succeeded in not sounding nervous as she uttered the lie, and Harry felt his heart drop. So much for being saved. He looked up to his uncle, his arm still frozen over his head, and saw the malicious glint in his eyes right before he swung it toward Harry.

Despite having grown several inches in the time since the end of the last term, if anything Harry had lost weight. He had no idea what they were feeding Dudley, as he was generally either locked outside to do chores or in his room, but he knew that they were feeding _him_ next to nothing. This made him that much easier for his uncle to throw around, and the big man apparently found it quite entertaining. Harry felt the fist impact with his shoulder, feeling something give, and then he was thrown against the wall by the force of it, his head smacking against the wall with a loud crack.

When his head hit the wall and he slid down to the ground, he heard his Uncle back away. "What's wrong, boy? Nothing funny anymore?"

Harry knew that if he didn't answer, he would regret it, so using most of his energy he said shakily and quietly, "N-no, Uncle Vernon."

He could hear the smirk in his uncle's voice, and he was surprised that it sounded almost exactly like Professor Snape's. Smirking slightly internally against the pain, he thought that his uncle and Snape should get together and form a 'We hate Harry Potter' fan club. "That's right, nothing's funny! Now get up and go outside and start your chores!"

Harry knew he had to move, so he used his arm to prop himself up and try to stand. Unfortunately he had little to no energy left so he fell back to the ground almost immediately.

"You'd better get up you little-"

Harry tensed and as quickly as he could he flew his good arm up to protect his head. But instead of more pain he heard something hit the floor, but he knew better than to get out of his protective position. But when he felt someone touch his newly dislocated shoulder he yelled and tried to shrink back into the wall that he felt his back touch, but with no luck. And even though he knew it was the last thing he should plead, he said, "Please, I'll go and do the chores! I'll go! Please, just don't hurt me anymore."

"Potter."

It took Harry's injured brain a few moments to realize that it wasn't his uncle speaking, but Professor Snape. Mortification took over his body and he thought, _Great, just what I need, Snape to come and see me at my worst. Lovely. Now everyone will know that I can't hold my own against a Muggle._ But those were his last thoughts as the pain and humiliation were too much to cope with, and Harry finally slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

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When she saw the frail and battered form on the bed resolve into that of Harry Potter, Poppy couldn't hold in a gasp. He was painfully thin, emaciated to tell the truth, and every exposed part of his body was covered in bruises. From even a glance, she thought she recognized the symptoms, and when she saw the boy flinch away from her as she spoke his name, she was even more certain, but she needed to confirm her suspicions with Snape, who had brought him in.

"I thought he was supposed to be safe at home?"

The potions master and professor tore his glance away from the shaking boy on the hospital bed, and Poppy was surprised to see a bit of concern on his face before he smoothed it out into its usual expressionlessness. "As did I. Apparently his relatives were not willing to cooperate."

She felt anger pass through her, directed towards anyone who could do this to an innocent child. And Harry of all people—he certainly didn't need this! "Well, I'll see what I can do. You should call Albus." The potions master nodded, and she turned back to her patient. He was shaking, and she knew that he must be going into shock. The first thing was to get him calmed down, and then she could begin to heal his many injuries. She quickly retrieved the appropriate potion and then moved back to her patient's bedside. "Harry, I—" She paused when he flinched again. "I need you to drink this, Harry." She pushed the goblet towards his hands, but even the good one did not close around the cup. She sighed. "I'll hold it to your lips and you can drink it that way," she decided. However, when she held it to his lips, he refused to swallow, spitting the little bit that he got in his mouth out immediately.

The medi-witch turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw both Snape and the headmaster. "I'm going to need some help—he's refusing to drink the potion." She directed this comment primarily to Severus, as the younger man would be more capable of assisting her. As she stepped out of the way to let him by, she heard a gasp from the newly-arrived headmaster. She pursed her lips but didn't look him in the eye or vocalize a response.

Meanwhile, Severus was now next to the boy, who was sitting up but whose glazed eyes didn't appear to be seeing anything in particular. He was rocking slightly and hugging his injured arm to himself. Severus began to speak, more softly than Madam Pomfrey had ever heard from him. "Come now, Potter… surely you don't want to continue to be in pain." He lifted the potion, then began to speak again. "Just drink this potion…" He held out the goblet, and then put his hand gently on Harry's shoulder to stop his rocking.

Everyone in the room jumped when Harry cried out and jerked away from Snape's hand. After a slight hesitation, Snape reached out again and took a firmer grasp on the boy's shoulder, ignoring his cry. He looked across the bed to Poppy, who was standing on the other side. "I don't think he's going to drink this voluntarily. I can hold him still if you'll pour it down his throat." The medi-witch nodded. The potions master removed his hand from the boy's shoulder and reached up to open Harry's mouth and tilt his head back. He struggled briefly but was clearly too exhausted to put up much of a fight. A moment later Pomfrey was pouring the potion down his throat. They heard him gag at first as he tried to reject the thick liquid, but it was an abortive attempt and he quickly began to swallow in order to clear his throat so that he could breath again. When Snape released him, he gasped for breath, still shaking slightly.

The three adults sighed in relief as they saw his muscles begin to relax and his eyes begin to droop to cover his glazed eyes. The shaking slowly ceased, and the medi-witch and potions master were able to ease him onto his back. After this Madame Pomfrey set to work healing his many injuries, and Snape turned to face the headmaster.

The headmaster, who recently had begun reflect more and more his old age, slowly pulled his eyes from the sight of his battered student and focused instead on Snape. "Severus… what happened?" he choked out.

"I went to check on him, as you asked. I met Petunia," he spat this name out, as there was no love lost between him and the magic-phobic muggle, "downstairs and she told me that Harry had taken a walk and she thought he was at the park. I went looking and eventually came back, ignoring their excuses and going upstairs. I found a door open and screaming inside, so I walked over to the door and found Potter on the floor with his back against the wall. There was a dent in the wall above where he had been sitting so I assume that that _man _pushed him so hard he hit the wall. So I quickly stunned the man." Poppy was still working hard to heal him. "Petunia had followed me upstairs and told me that he had fallen down the stairs, but it was obvious that even she was surprised at how bad he looked. When I woke him, he—" Snape paused for a moment, and anyone who did not assume him to be heartless would guess that he was trying to collect his emotions. "He begged me not to hurt him. But soon he passed out, probably from the lack of food, water, and the realization that it was me. So I put the portkey in his hand and we came here."

Dumbledore in turn looked back toward the still boy on the hospital bed. More to himself than to Severus, he murmured, "How could I have imagined he was safe?" He moved closer to Madame Pomfrey, then asked in a hesitant tone that was completely out of character for the confident headmaster, "Poppy, can you tell—was this the first time?"

The medi-witch looked up from her work, making eye contact with the older man. She shook her head. "I'm sorry Albus, but there appear to be at least some injuries that aren't new. There is a break in his arm, for instance, that had partially set."

"What are the injuries?" Severus asked, knowing that the headmaster would find it hard to speak.

"Well, his arm is broken in two places, and as I said, at least one of those breaks is not new. Three cracked and one broken ribs, and he was incredibly fortunate that none of him pierced his lungs or any internal organs. He definitely has a concussion, with several major injuries to his head. I don't think there is any damage to his brain, but…" She paused, then continued, "If I didn't know better, I would guess that he had been attacked by a swarm of bludgers. It is a testament to his stubbornness and pain tolerance that he was still moving."

The hospital ward fell silent as each of its occupants considered the boy who had fallen into a light sleep, lost in their own thoughts.

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As Harry awoke, the first thing that he wondered was why his room was so bright. He could see the light through his closed eyelids. The next thing he wondered was why his bed was so much smoother than usual. He was used to the lumpy old mattress that Dudley had abandoned for another over ten years ago. The next thought that crossed his mind caused his eyes to snap open, and he attempted to sit up in bed—only to discover that he didn't seem capable of moving.

"What—" he began, or rather, tried to. All that he heard was a low moan. He felt a shiver of panic that seemed to run through the inside of him as he realized how helpless he was. Let me go! he thought to himself, and would have screamed it if he could. A moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and then saw the face of someone lean over him.

It was—but it couldn't be, could it? He could have sworn that it was Madame Pomfrey leaning over him, and now that he moved his eyes around a bit he saw familiar signs of the hospital wing at Hogwarts. But he couldn't be there, it was summer!

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I see you have awakened. Just a moment, I believe the headmaster wishes to speak with you."

Harry heard a high pitched whine emerge from his throat as he tried to cry out. She couldn't just leave him there, trapped! He felt a hand rest on his shoulder for a moment, and her voice was comforting as she told him, "I'll be right back, don't worry. You're safe here." He heard the swish of her robes as she walked away and felt another shiver of fear run through him.

Two sets of footsteps returned. He heard the two people consulting in whispers, just out of his hearing range. Finally, Madame Pomfrey moved to within his sight and muttered something. He felt warmth rush suddenly through his head and neck, and found that he could now turn his head side to side. The rest of his body remained immobile, however. He turned quickly so that he could see both the medi-witch and the headmaster, and then demanded, "Let me go!" He was surprised to hear much more panic than demand in his voice.

The kindly headmaster was the one to respond. "Harry, you've been through quite an ordeal. We need to give your body its best chance to heal." He frowned sadly. "Can you tell me who hurt you, Harry?"

Harry turned his head away, looking out the windows on the far wall. He was surprised at the variety of emotions running through him. It wasn't that he wanted to protect his uncle, but how could he explain that he deserved what he had gotten? He knew instinctively that Dumbledore would not believe him, would try to convince him that he was wrong, and a feeling of shame flooded through him. He did deserve it. He had gotten Sirius, his only remaining family, killed in a moment of stupidity.

He felt a gentle but firm hand grasp his chin and slowly turn it back, until he was looking into the headmaster's deadly serious eyes. There was no sign of the twinkle of humor that he almost always saw there. If anything, there was a great depth of sadness. "This isn't your fault, Harry," Dumbledore told him softly.

Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn't understand. "I can't… You don't…"

"What, Harry? Talk to me, please…"

Harry tore his chin from the headmaster's grasp and turned his head away, refusing to speak. What could he say, after all?

"This is all my fault," he heard Professor Dumbledore whisper. Harry turned his head back quickly, eyes wide in disbelief. How could the headmaster think that this was his fault? "If I hadn't sent you back there, summer after summer…"

Harry's lips were open, shaping themselves into different words that his vocal cords didn't appear to be willing to vocalize. Finally, he regained his voice. "It's not… I deserved what I got." This time it was the headmaster's turn to widen his eyes in disbelief.

But though he opened his mouth to reply, a smooth voice spoke instead. "I believe you are both blaming yourselves unnecessarily. This is no one's fault but that idiot Vernon Dursley."

Harry turned to look in the direction of the voice and was shocked to see that it was Professor Snape. But, Snape wasn't civil with him… Once again he found himself without words, staring into the face that was strangely lacking in the usual hatred.

"That is who hit you, of course?" Professor Snape continued. Harry's surprise had swept all his words away, and he simply nodded numbly. "Well, now that we've worked that out… I need to speak with you, Albus, and I believe he," Snape nodded toward Harry, "needs some more sleep." Harry followed his gaze to where he could now see Madame Pomfrey. She was carrying a potion in her hand.

Harry felt something clench up inside of him. "No, please, I'm not ready to sleep yet… Can't you let me free, please?" the words slipped out of his mouth quickly, revealing the panic that was quickly building up inside of him. He wanted—needed—to move.

Snape got a strange expression on his face, a wince as if he was remembering some pain. He shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Now the medi-witch had arrived at his bedside with the potion. "Now, Harry, I'm going to lift your head up and pour the potion into your mouth. You just need to swallow, alright?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, please… no…" He could see that his words were having no effect on the woman. He felt as though everything was spinning out of control. His heart beat faster still, and he gave a choking gasp of fear. Some distant part of his brain recognized that this reaction was not proportionate to the circumstances, but his fear-ridden mind was not listening. "Let me go, please!"

Then he felt firm hands that did not belong to Madam Pomfrey lifting his head up and opening his mouth, despite his struggle. "Okay, Harry, get ready to swallow… if you cooperate this will be much more pleasant," said the woman as she lifted the goblet to his lips and began to pour. He tried to reject it, but just found himself choking painfully, and the potion just kept coming. His mouth full of the potion, he swallowed desperately, his lungs now demanding air. Finally his airway was free and he gasped for air as his head was lowered back to the bed. Tears streamed out of his eyes, and he choked back a sob.

"Why…?" He was unable to finish his sentence, as he suddenly felt his eyes slipping shut as an incredible tiredness rushed over him. He heard a bit of murmuring just before he was unconscious.

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When Harry woke again it was much darker than before. He opened his eyes and found that he could still move his head and neck, but the rest of him remained immobile. Looking to the right, he saw a familiar figure dozing in a chair next to his bed. He called out to the werewolf quietly. "Professor Lupin!"

The man jerked awake with a start, glancing around quickly before realizing that the source of the noise was the bed that he had been keeping watch over. "Harry! I'm so glad you're awake!" he exclaimed, sounding genuinely pleased. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," he replied wryly. "Um, could you…I can't move. Could you take off the charm?" he asked.

"Well, I don't see why not." With that, he waved his wand and called out clearly, "Finite Incantatem." He smiled. "I don't think you should move around a whole lot, though."

Harry nodded, but wiggled his fingers and toes to see that he could. He felt relief flood through him when he was sure that he had control of his body back. This time he was able to offer the werewolf a weak smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you, Harry. As soon as I heard that you'd been hurt, I came as quickly as I could." He smiled weakly, and Harry saw that the lines in his worn face had only increased. He knew suddenly that the death of the last of his best friends had been an awful blow to the werewolf. He felt the familiar wave of guilt rush over him, accompanied by grief, and blinked back tears.

Lupin moved closer to his bed. "I'm sorry, Harry. Your uncle had no right to do this to you."

Harry turned his head and mumbled his recurrent thought. "I deserved it."

"What!" the exclamation sounded a bit like a yelp, and then his former professor's voice became firm. "Harry, look at me."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, cursing the werewolf's exceptional hearing. He didn't want to be convinced that he was wrong; he knew that he wasn't.

"Harry!" The stern voice and the almost angry tone caused Harry's eyes to flash open as he flinched away from the man, frightened. He grimaced at the pain still present in his ribs and the general ache that covered his whole body as he moved.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to…" he watched as the boy flinched again at the use of his name. He modulated his voice to be as soothing as possible. "You need to calm down… you're going to hurt yourself, you're still healing."

Harry tried to relax himself, but he found that the fear and adrenaline did not leave him so easily. He had never felt anything but safe with the werewolf, but now he found that there was a part of him that panicked at his presence, which annoyed Harry to no end. Watching the man's face he could see that he knew how frightened he was, and Harry remembered once again the heightened senses of a werewolf. He took an exaggerated step back, giving Harry space, so that he could calm down.

Curling up a bit to protect himself, he felt his ribs give an angry twinge. "I—I'm sorry," he stuttered.

There was understanding in the man's face. "It's alright, Harry, I understand… You've been through a lot." Moving slowly, he seated himself in his chair, leaning back and relaxing slightly as Harry did not have any further reaction. "Now… what's this about you deserving this?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He said this flatly, hoping that it would end the conversation before it started. He didn't want to talk about Sirius with the one person who missed him more than he did. Not when it was his fault. "How did I get here? I thought students weren't allowed at Hogwarts during the summer?"

"They're not, usually, but you were hurt and under the circumstances Professor Snape didn't think it a good idea to take you St. Mungo's." The werewolf seemed to be willing to let the change of subject go without an argument.

"Snape?" he asked blankly. Then understanding rushed through him. "Oh Merlin, he was the one who came to get me?" I will never live this down, he thought to himself.

Lupin gave him a calculating look. "Well, he was just checking in on you. None of us expected you to be hurt."

"Merlin, he will never let me live this down," Harry moaned, more to himself than to Lupin.

"Do you really think so little of me?" came a smooth voice from the doorway. He felt every muscle that he didn't realize he had relaxed clench up again, pain stabbing through his ribs at the sudden movement that he made. He stared at Snape without blinking, desperately trying to slow his heart rate back down. The potions master was striding quickly over to Harry's bed, and he found himself backing up toward the edge of the bed again as the tall man approached.

"I see you deigned Madam Pomfrey's precautions unnecessary, Lupin," he commented with a harsh edge to his voice. His attention was now on the still-seated werewolf rather than the fearful boy in the hospital bed.

"I saw no harm in allowing him a bit of freedom while he was awake," he replied calmly.

"I see… Lupin knows best," the potions master sneered.

"Leave him alone!" Harry cried before he even thought about it. The tall man turned on him, his robes billowing out behind him, and with an abortive cry of fear he pulled away from the angry gaze—

And toppled right off the side of the bed.

He landed hard on his back, and thought he heard a crack as he landed. And incredible pain blossomed from his ribs as the jarring impact undid some of the school medi-witch's hard work. An instant after he landed both Snape and Lupin appeared around the side of his bed. Nearly whimpering at the pain, he pulled himself back toward the wall, away from the two towering figures that were fast approaching.

Lupin knelt down so that he was a less menacing figure. Softly, he began speaking, "Come on, Harry, calm down… We just need to get you back up onto your bed, so that Madam Pomfrey can help you."

Harry couldn't say much because of the new pain that he had erupting from his back and the adrenalin that had surged through his body at Snape's aggressive posture and demeanour. So, Lupin said, "I'm sorry, Harry, you're going to hate me for this, but…" Ignoring the boy's cries of pain and slight fear he reached forward and took him into his strong arms. A moment later he found himself back on the hospital bed. Lupin pressed on his shoulder gently to return him to a supine position.

Snape returned with Madam Pomfrey following him. Lupin's hand continued on his shoulder and kept him from either sitting up or moving around. Poppy pulled her wand out, and Harry jerked convulsively against Lupin's hand. "No, don't!" he cried in desperation.

The medi-witch paused in her movements and looked at Harry. "Will you drink a potion?" The terrified young man stared at her, weighing his options.

"What kind?" he finally asked, his voice shaky.

"A calming draught… I'm sorry, but I can't give you any more of the dreamless sleep potion today."

He nodded and reached out his good hand for the potion. "Can you—Can I sit up?"

Madam Pomfrey narrowed her eyes. "Only if you can do it on your own." She nodded to Lupin to let go of his shoulder. Harry handed the goblet to him, and then lifted himself up on his good elbow. He gasped at the pain and both Lupin and Snape leaned in as if they were going to push him back down, but the medi-witch motioned them both back. Gritting his teeth, Harry stubbornly pushed on. He felt himself getting light-headed from the pain, and knew that either Lupin or Snape would catch him if he were to pass out. Finally, painfully, he reached a sitting position. He held out his good hand and Lupin placed the potion into it. Throwing his head back, he downed the disgusting potion as quickly as he could. He barely noticed as the werewolf pried the empty goblet from his hands and the potions master gently eased him back down. Some part of his mind noted that it was supremely odd for his usually cruel professor to be treating him so gently, to even be present at all. Another part of him noticed when Madam Pomfrey cast the spell to immobilize his body, but he found it hard to care. His eyelids drooped and his exhaustion carried him away from the pain and fear and into a deep sleep.

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Hey! Hope you enjoyed it!! Let me know if you did!!!


	2. You're My WHAT?

Hey guys!! Thank you to all of those who reviewed!! I really appreciate it! A thank you to Nita, my beta, for betaing this chapter for me!!

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1CHAPTER 2

"…the second time he's re-injured himself. Not to mention the time he gave me a black eye during one of his panic attacks. We'll just have to find a way to calm him without undoing the spell." The affected tone of indifference in the voice that Harry heard as he woke sounded familiar, but his groggy mind found it hard to place.

"You have taken all of this so well, Severus. I'm so proud of you." This time Harry recognized the dulcet tones of the headmaster.

"Merlin knows that one of us will need to be strong, and it obviously won't be him."

"Don't underestimate your own strength, Severus… or his." There was a pause, and Harry resisted opening his eyes to see what was going on. "He's proven it to me on too many occasions to count… more occasions than he should have had the opportunity."

"Well, if the boy wouldn't go running after trouble…"

"Ah, but you know that it's not that easy, Severus. Trouble seems to follow him regardless."

Finally Harry opened his eyes, and saw that it was indeed Snape talking with the headmaster, a few feet away from his bed. The hospital ward was bright again, and he wondered what day it was. He realized suddenly that his birthday must have come and gone—the last day he could remember at Privet Drive had been the day before he was to turn sixteen. That he had not had a chance to "celebrate" his birthday wasn't a horrible loss, though, as the extent of his celebration was usually opening his presents at midnight and having something to eat for the next week or so.

"Professor?" he called out softly.

Both men turned to face him. "You're awake," Dumbledore said with a smile. Professor Snape confined himself to nodding in acknowledgment, but it was better than a snide remark. Once again Harry wondered at this change in behavior, and then pushed it away in favor of that question that he had just been considering.

"What day is it, sir?"

"August 9th, Harry." When he saw the look of shock on the boy's face, he continued. "Yes, it has been two weeks since Severus rescued you from your uncle." He shook his head sadly, his eyes losing their twinkle in an instant. "I must apologize again, Harry, for forcing you to return there when it was clearly unsafe."

Harry felt something clench up inside of him. Why did the exact conversation that he least wanted to have seem to continue to repeat itself? He looked toward the ceiling instead of making eye contact with either of the wizards, and gave the answer that would absolve the headmaster of the guilt that Harry had never placed on him. "It wasn't your fault."

"Thank you, Harry, though unfortunately I don't think it is quite that simple." The boy turned his head back to look at the headmaster—and jerked his head back when he suddenly saw the form of the potions master looming over him. The man had halved the former distance between him and the hospital bed, and was gazing at Harry with some unfathomable expression in his eyes.

Harry felt his breathing speed up as every danger signal in his head went off, and suddenly all he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears. "No—don't--" he choked out. Professor's Snape's whole posture changed and he moved back to give Harry room. Unfortunately, the fear wasn't ready to dissipate so easily. "Let me go!" The terror of being unable to struggle flooded him, a terror that seemed almost to equal what he had experienced in Voldemort's presence.

He barely registered that the potions master had drawn his wand before he felt a strange sensation: his lungs were no longer under his control. Instead of drawing air in and out as quickly as the muscles could, he was suddenly breathing slowly and steadily. At first he tried to regain control, sure he was going to suffocate if he couldn't. Slowly, though, his ears cleared of his pounding heart rate as it returned to a reasonable rate, and his head began to clear as well. He realized then that Professor Snape was speaking in calm, even tones.

"That's right, Harry, breathe deeply. We're not going to hurt you… Good, very good… Can you hear me now?" Harry opened his mouth to respond, but realized that he couldn't as long as he didn't have control of his own lungs. "Just nod, that's fine," Snape said calmly, apparently understanding his struggle, and looked Harry in the eyes. Harry tried to understand the expression he could see lurking under the calm facade, but he couldn't. Then he realized that the professor was beginning to speak again. "Are you alright now?" Harry nodded again. "Okay, I'm going to let you go, now… Just breathe deeply, and don't talk yet." He waited until Harry nodded again, and then did as he had said. Harry focused all his attention on his breathing, marveling at the control he had back and feeling a bit of relief at having control of something at least.

"I'm sorry I startled you," Snape apologized softly, and Harry looked at him, trying to decide if this was a joke. Professor Snape, the potions master who despised him above all other students, was apologizing to him? "Is there anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable or safe?"

Harry opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but instead found a request coming out. "Can you let me go? I just want to be able to move a little…" He was surprised at how small his voice sounded as he pleaded with the man.

The man sighed. "I'm sorry, but we really can't do that… You've already re-injured yourself twice unintentionally, and the idea is to let you out of the hospital wing eventually."

"But…" There was the panic again. He could feel his breathing speed up as he tried to catch his breath after the rush of pure fear.

"Breathe, Harry!" The potions master's urgent tone cut through his panic. He struggled to remember that he was safe, that nothing was going to happen here, but all he could think that he was trapped. His breathing continued raggedly. He had to get out of here! The world blurred and slipped sideways.

He woke up with a headache. "…another panic attack," he heard the end of whatever was being said.

"Oh dear… It sounds as though the calming draught will continue to be necessary."

"Indeed. I will replenish your supplies when I have the opportunity."

He blinked his eyes open slowly. When he heard his heartbeat speeding up again already, he focused on taking slow, deep breaths. He tuned out everything going on around him in favor of staying conscious and in control. Thus it was several minutes before he realized that Professor Snape was calling his name.

"Harry, can you hear me?"

"Why are you calling me Harry?" he blurted out, surprising even himself. His curiosity appeared to have overcome his panic for the moment.

"Does it bother you?" Snape seemed to have a strangely guarded expression on his face. Harry almost could have guessed that the potions professor cared what his answer was.

"I guess not…" he responded hesitantly. It was beyond strange to be carrying on a civil conversation with the professor who usually couldn't wait to get in a barb or three.

"I would love to continue this conversation," Snape interjected, his face passive and his voice emotionless, "but first I believe it may be a good idea to give you the calming draught while you're not in the midst of a panic attack."

The mere mention of panic caused a million thoughts to flit through Harry's mind. Meanwhile, though, Professor Snape was already lifting his head. "Okay, deep breath... Now get ready to swallow," he instructed, and then the potion was pouring into Harry's mouth. He focused on swallowing it the best he could, trying not to gag this time, and was mostly successful. Almost immediately he felt the influence of the potion and relaxed perceptibly.

For a moment the medi-witch busied herself looking over her patient, and then she seemed to deem his condition satisfactory and backed off to allow the professor some time with his student. Harry, for his part, found himself vaguely curious once again about why his professor was acting so differently from what was normal for him.

He watched intently as the man pulled a chair closer to his bed and sat, cleared his throat, then looked around as if for a distraction. Snape's eyes lit on the bedside table, which Harry couldn't quite see because of his limited range of movement.

"Do you need your glasses?" Harry frowned when he saw that his glasses were indeed in Snape's hand.

"What..?" He looked past Snape, across the hospital wing, and saw that he could see Madam Pomfrey clearly—something that would usually be unlikely with his glasses. "I don't—I can see just fine," he finally replied, shocked.

"Hmm," was Snape's mild response. He didn't seem very surprised.

"Sir? Is it normal for a wizard's eyesight to correct itself?"

Snape sighed. "No, P—Harry, it's not." Harry frowned, wondering once again why Snape was suddenly insisting on calling him by his given name.

Then what Snape had said registered, and he sighed. "Well, far be it from me to be normal in any way whatsoever," he muttered, and Snape raised an eyebrow. This brought his attention back to the matter at hand. "I get the feeling that you expected this."

Snape nodded slowly. "It has recently been brought to my attention that you had a charm cast on you at birth, one of the effects of which was to make you severely near-sighted like P-James was."

Harry frowned. "Why would someone do that? Were they trying to handicap me?"

Snape looked surprised and shook his head quickly. "No, Harry… the person who cast the charm was your mother, and she meant you no harm. In fact, I daresay that if Lily had lived longer, she might have corrected your eyesight."

"Correct it…?" Snape nodded. "You mean I grew up desperately trying to keep my glasses with me and intact my entire life because I'm nearly blind without them, and now you tell me that someone could have fixed it??"

"No, P-Harry, that is not what I said," he snapped. "I said that Lily would have fixed it, if she had been living. No one else knew that you had this charm on you."

"Oh," Harry replied, his anger deflating quickly. Which was not to say that he wanted Snape around. He had just remembered why he disliked the man so much. He looked away for several minutes, expecting Snape to take the hint and leave. Finally, he turned back. "What do you want?"

Snape sneered in anger at Harry's attitude. "Well, I was going to tell you the truth, but clearly I was mistaken in thinking that a rash Gryffindor could care about that." He stood up with a flourish of his robes and stalked from the room.

Almost immediately a feeling of contrition filled Harry. He hated Snape, Snape hated him… and yet Snape was not acting like Snape, and he wanted to know why. Not to mention that there was little else to do while he was trapped in the hospital wing. With a sigh he turned his eyes to the ceiling and began to count pockmarks in the stone.

After a while, Madam Pomfrey reappeared from her office or wherever she had gone. She bustled out, but appeared to be surprised at something. Harry turned to look at her. "Harry? Where did Severus go?"

"Left…" Harry replied listlessly.

"I see…" she responded hesitantly, in a tone that made it clear that she did not. "And what did you speak about, before he left?"

Harry frowned. "Nothing, really… Do you know what the big secret is?" Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth to respond but Harry was continuing to speak already. "Whatever it is, I'm not sure I want to hear it, if he thinks it means he has to pretend like he's not the git he is."

Madam Pomfrey choked a bit at this; one would think she had heard something horrifying, rather than a rather common epithet against Snape's oft-insulted person. "Harry," she finally managed in a reproving tone, "you shouldn't speak that way about your… professor." Strange… he wondered if he had only imagined that pause before she had said professor.

"Why?" Harry sneered. "Is he going to take points from Gryffindor?"

The nurse frowned but changed the subject. "Perhaps you should take a bit of a nap, dear, you're looking a bit peaky."

"No thanks…" Harry replied. He started to look away, and then thought to ask a question. "How much longer am I going to have to be in the Hospital Wing?"

The nurse looked apologetic. "You were very injured when you got here, Harry, and you've re-injured yourself several times. Probably another week."

"A week?!" he yelped in surprise. He shook his head hard enough to make himself slightly dizzy. "I'm not staying like this for a week!"

Madam Pomfrey drew herself up to her full height. "You, Mr. Potter, have little say in the matter. As I said, you have re-injured yourself repeatedly, and I will not be releasing you until I am certain that you will not undo my hard work!"

Harry shrank back against the bed. "Y-yes, Au—M-Madam Pomfrey," he managed to stutter out. That irrational fear and need to make himself disappear and hide that had only strengthened this summer was reasserting itself.

"Oh dear," murmured the woman, as she brought her hand up to rest on his immobile shoulder. Harry flinched slightly at her touch, and closed his eyes tightly. "It's alright, Harry, you're safe here…"

Harry tried to believe her but began to shake nonetheless, at least as much as he could within the restraints. "P-please…" he stuttered.

"What is it, Harry?" Madam Pomfrey asked worriedly. "What do you need?"

"S-stop…"

"Stop what?"

"Let me go!" he pleaded with the little air that he could gather. He was hyperventilating again, and Snape wasn't here to save him this time. Since when was Snape his rescuer, anyway?

"Breathe, Harry!" cried Madam Pomfrey. Harry gave a choking sob but continued to breathe frantically. "Deep breaths!"

Harry shook his head; continuing the shallow breaths seemed to be the only way that he would get the air he needed, even though he wasn't getting it. Finally, Madam Pomfrey said, "I'm so sorry, Harry, but… Stupefy!"

Harry awoke with a gasp and an awful headache. If the pounding in his head was not enough to remind him, his complete failure at sitting up jogged his memory quite efficiently. His breath caught in his throat and he clenched his teeth and tried not to panic—again.

"Easy," murmured a silky voice from somewhere beside him, and a hand entwined itself in his hair, rubbing his scalp in soothing motion. The headache began to subside slightly, and he sighed in relief, relaxing into the bed and nearly forgetting that he couldn't move if he had wanted to. "That's right," praised the voice. "Does your head ache?" it questioned next.

He groaned slightly, hoping that the voice would understand, as he didn't seem capable of putting his thoughts together coherently at the moment. The hand paused for a moment in its motions. "Being stunned can do that. Would you like a potion for the pain?"

_Not if it means you're going to stop rubbing my head_, was Harry's silent reply. He lifted his chin to push his head back against the hand with a small sound of discontent, and was rewarded by the hand resuming its massaging motion. He thought he might have heard a small chuckle, but he couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment.

"Why did that woman have to cast that damnable charm, anyway? Maybe if you hadn't looked like him, I could have gotten to know you back when you were younger. Now, though…" the voice trailed off, still continuing to rub his head. He hoped what it was saying wasn't important, because he wasn't putting much effort into deciphering it. Just relaxing…

The hand disentangled itself from his hair once again, and this time when he leaned his head back in protest it was not within reach. He made another noise of protest, but the hand did not return. The voice, did, however. "No more, Harry. It's time to either wake up completely, or go back to sleep." The voice sounded sterner now, and he began to try to blink his heavy eyelids open in response.

Opening his eyelids let light in, though, and the light seemed to cause his headache to bloom where it had withered under the gentle massage before. "Wha..?" he moaned incoherently, squinting against the light and trying to see something—anything. What he saw, a moment later, was a dark figure looming over him. This brought his eyes further open, but resolving the figure into that of Snape did not comfort him much. In fact, he gasped slightly in reflexive panic at seeing the man so close to him.

Almost immediately the hand returned to soothe him once again. It belonged to Professor Snape, it seemed, though he found it hard to reconcile with the black eyes watching him from an apparently emotionless face. His eyelids relaxed down to a half-closed position, though, as he instinctively relaxed against the hand.

The hand stopped its massaging, but did not leave his head. Instead, it moved down toward the base of his skull and then his head was being lifted. "Open your mouth, Harry," ordered his Professor in a strangely gentle tone. Harry hesitated for a moment before obeying with a weary sigh. He swallowed quickly as the thick and sickly sweet calming potion filled his mouth. He made a disgusted sound when his mouth was mostly empty.

Snape chuckled lightly. "That's one thing we're in agreement on. Still, it's better than a panic attack, don't you think?" Harry made a non-committal noise, his head still held up off the bed slightly. "The next one's not quite so sweet—something for the headache," he explained at the teen's questioning expression. Not so sweet was an understatement, Harry found, as the bitter and truly disgusting potion was poured in. He swallowed quickly and grimaced as his head was let down gently.

"Better?" Harry nodded with a sigh, the headache already beginning to wither into nothing. The edges of panic that still surged through him whenever he tried to move were also being covered over with a pleasant emptiness. "Alright. I let you run me off earlier, but this conversation cannot be postponed any longer," Snape began, backing off from his bed and taking a seat in the chair next to it. Harry blinked. That sounded… ominous. "You see, P—Harry, I recently received a… missive… from your mother. She had magically delayed it to appear two days before your sixteenth birthday.

"In it, she informed me that…" Snape sighed, making Harry that much more nervous. "There is no easy way to say this. She informed me that James Potter is not—was not—your father." Harry might have boggled at hearing the usually-controlled man stutter, but he was too busy trying to pull himself out of shock at what Snape was saying.

Beyond the shock that the man who had always hated him for looking like his father was now saying that that man was not, in fact, his father, he was also wondering why his mother would have sent a letter to Snape and not to him. There was only one reason that he could think of… He began to shake his head stubbornly, slowly at first and then more quickly as Snape began to speak again.

"Yes, Harry, I think you've figured it out. She also told me that I—I am—I am your biological father," Snape finally managed.

"No," Harry responded aloud finally, quietly at first, then more loudly. "No, no, no, no, NO!" The blanket of calmness that had felt so comforting at first now felt as though it was smothering him. He hated Snape—hated him for lying, hated him for believing the letter (if there even was one), hated him for daring to come and tell Harry this, and hated him most of all for making Harry drink a calming potion before having this conversation. He shoved it aside as though it were nothing more than a paper thin barrier, without a second thought. "You're lying, I hate you, it's not true!" he screamed, and Snape looked taken aback at the energy and emotion behind his scream.

Snape leaned forward but didn't stand. "It is extremely unexpected news, I admit, but I am not lying." Harry glared furiously at him, wishing he could do something more. "Would you like to see the letter?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I don't want to see the letter, because there is no letter—and if there is, then it's a filthy stinking lie and I don't want it near me, you—you—" Harry tried to fight the onset of memories as things fell into place—Snape rescuing, Snape being gentle with him, Snape cutting himself off whenever he began to call him Potter—his adrenaline began to drain from him as fast as it had come. "It can't be true, can it?" he asked pleadingly. "I mean, how—why—"

"I can't say it comes as any less of a shock to me," Snape sighed. "Even with nearly two weeks to consider, it still hardly makes sense." He chuckled bitterly. "And it's not as though I'm likely to be a good 'father figure'. However, this was clearly not something that could—or should—be kept from you."

"Why not?" protested Harry immediately. "You hate me—why not just pretend you had never read the letter? Why tell me?" This was not good news, no matter how much it might have seemed to be to an outsider. It was a bit like knowing that Petunia Dursley was related to him—what good was a blood relation if they hated you and mistreated you any chance they got? As far as he knew, it only made things worse; Potions could not be any better knowing that it was his father humiliating him at every turn.

Snape sighed. "I do not hate you, Harry. I hate your—well, the man I supposed was your father. I hated his features on your face. It is much easier to see you as your own person now that you do not resemble Potter," he spat the name in his usual manner, "any longer. I… I would like to get chance to know you, if you will let me."

The request almost distracted him from the content of what Snape had said before it. When Snape's words registered, however, he tried to sit up in shock, but only managed to widen his eyes and lift his head slightly. "What do you mean, now that I don't look like James??" It hadn't occurred to him that the charm they had mentioned must have worn off, for his vision to be better. "What do I look like??" he asked, panic re-entering his voice as though it had never left.

Snape stood suddenly and his dark figure looming over Harry as he lay panicked and helpless caused his breath to catch in his throat and then begin coming faster. Snape's idea, it seemed, was to attempt to calm him by once again massaging his scalp. Harry, however, was not in the mood.

Moving his head away, he snarled, "Bugger off! I don't need to be petted like a dog or a small child!" Even as he said it, though, he knew something would need to be done, as he was hardly moving in the right direction at the moment. Only his anger overwhelmed the panic long enough for him to get such a coherent complaint out.

"Then what do you need, P—boy?" Snape replied, irritation clear in his voice.

"Just—let me go..!" he repeated for what seemed like the millionth time since he had woken in the Hospital Wing. "I won't—I can't—don't do this!!"

"Shhh, just calm down. You're going to be fine; you're completely safe." Now his professor—his father, supposedly—seemed to be trying the rational approach. Harry was not feeling particularly rational at the moment.

"Let—me—go!" Harry pleaded as loudly as he could, pushing with every bit of physical and mental and magical strength that it felt he possessed at the cursed restraints that were holding him still. To his great surprise, he felt what seemed like a magical snap, and then he could move.

For half a second he froze, unsure if Snape had realized what had happened or not. Should he wait to move until he was alone, or take advantage now? When he saw the wary and suspicious expression on Snape's face, though, he knew that the observant man had seen his muscles tense. Before he could be stopped, he rolled onto his side and curled into as tight a ball as he could form. It was amazing how much safer he felt, and his breathing was slowing already despite the pain that it had caused (and was causing, if he admitted it to himself) to remain in this position. His ribs in particular were screaming in pain.

"Harry, I know you disabled the restraining field, but you need to lay back flat. That is not good for your injuries. Now just lay back…" Harry felt hands, trying to pry him out of the ball he had formed, but he hugged his knees all the harder to his chest and whimpered slightly. After a moment, though, he felt his legs being pulled away from his chest despite his best efforts, his weak efforts simply not up to the effort it seemed.

"No, please!"

His screams had drawn the missing school nurse, who made her presence known by an exclamation of "Oh, dear Merlin!" and then hustled over. "What on earth happened, Severus?!"

"What does it look like happened??" Snape growled, still trying to get his panicking son to relax and lay back. "He broke the restraining field while he was having a panic attack."

A look of surprised lit the Medi-Witch's face as she moved over to Harry's side.

A moment later Snape near the head of the bed, massaging Harry's scalp again in hopes of calming him. At first the teen tried to move away from him, but slowly he began to relax slightly, his murmuring becoming less frantic and quite a bit quieter.

"I should get a Calming Potion," Pomfrey said, turning to do as she said, but Snape stopped her.

"I gave him one before we started the conversation," he explained grimly. "He can't have another for at least an hour."

The mediwitch stared at the boy in shock. "But—he's not calm at all! It can't have worn off so quickly!"

"You know someone with strong magical energy can make a calming potion ineffective if he or she wants. I can conjure physical restraints that won't hurt him but will keep him still, if we can get him to lay back."

"Harry, can you hear me?" Poppy asked gently after nodding to what Snape had said.

The teen in question moaned and murmured, "Hurts," but didn't otherwise show any signs of having heard what she had said.

"Laying curled up like that is hurting your ribs, Harry," Snape responded, still massaging the boy's scalp skillfully. His fingers knew where every pressure point was, and he manipulated them to relax Harry as far as was possible. "Don't you want it to stop hurting?"

"Have to be able to move—have to be safe," Harry responded. He curled up even more tighter in a reflexive response to the suggestion he knew was coming, and gasped at the pain that blossomed even further in his ribs.

"How about we see how you can do just laying still on your back? We won't cast anymore restraining spells on you," Snape promised. Poppy looked at him in surprise and a little anger, but he hushed any vocal response with a dark glare. "What do you say about that?" he asked after he looked back down to the dark haired boy.

"Can't… Hurts…"

"It will feel better, I promise," Snape replied evenly. "Start by relaxing as much as you can… that's right, now let go of your knees… Don't worry, Harry, we're not going to force you. Good, very good," he guided the boy in a smooth and remarkably gentle and encouraging tone. Pomfrey stared at him, unaware that he had it in him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Harry was letting his curled up position go and moving back outwards. Unfortunately, it hurt almost as much as getting into and staying in the position had hurt, and several times he would have stopped if it hadn't been for Snape's oddly motivating tone. He truly jerked in fright, though, when Snape removed one hand from his head and asked for his wand from Poppy.

"Don't worry, I just need it because you look like you need a pain-relieving spell." He nodded at Poppy to cast the spell, and quietly muttered the words to conjure the restraints that he needed. The medi-witch glared at him again but followed his lead and cast the pain-relieving spell.

"You're doing great, Harry, just great. You're almost there, just a little further. That's right, just let yourself relax and let your knees stretch out." He paused for a moment, then carefully injected concern into his voice. "You're shaking, Harry, are you cold? Here, I've got a blanket for you, right here. Poppy, will you help me with this?" Snape didn't dare stop massaging with both hands, as he feared Harry would begin to panic when he came out of the trance he seemed to have fallen into. Instead, he allowed the mediwitch to drag the other end of the "blanket" down to the end of the bed, and let her arrange it carefully over Harry's body, then tapped it gently with his wand. Both of them watched as the edges seemed to meld into the bed around Harry, and while Snape looked relieved, Poppy looked torn between satisfaction and anger at the Potions Master.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Snape asked carefully as he massaged the teen's temples carefully.

"Can't I lay on my side?" the teen asked plaintively. "I can't lay like this; I can't—I can't—" Snape fought to keep his hands from tightening against the boy's head as he tried to roll back onto his side and the "blanket" tightened around him, holding him still. "What…?! No!" Harry shrieked, having discovered that he had once again lost his freedom to move. "No, let me go, no, no!" He was already beginning to hyperventilate, and Snape eyed his wand but tried to calm him first.

"Harry, listen to me," he said sternly. "Breathe—In, and out… in, and out. Come on, Harry, breathe!" But it was no use. The blanket had tightened further as Harry had struggled so that now he could not move at all, and he was in a full-blown panic attack.

"Respiro," he incanted, and then he focused all his mental energy on the movement of his lungs, moving the air in and out as efficiently and methodically as he could. He stepped around to where he could see the boy's face, and saw it going through the same expressions as last time—further panic, confusion, and finally, relief. When he saw relief starting to spread, he asked, "That's right… Deep breaths," he reminded Harry, preparing to release the spell. "Can you manage on your own?"

It was going to be a very long hour until they could give Harry the next Calming Potion.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter! Please review, I just love to hear what you liked, or disliked, about the chapter!! Thanks for reading!


	3. Friends and Admissions

Chapter 3

Harry slowly awoke from his sleep, and looked around. He was still in the hospital wing and in bed, but surprisingly, he could move! Harry sighed, he could move! Harry looked around and saw that he was alone. Harry took this time to assess his injuries. And to his surprise, he was completely healed. He was able to move around without any pain whatsoever.

Harry became confused, he thought it would take several days to heal his injuries, how were they healed in just one night? '_It's magic_!' he thought sarcastically. He started to wonder where everyone went. Madam Pomfrey was probably in her office, and Snape-who knew where Snape was?

"Oh no," Harry moaned. Memories from the previous day came back to him. Snape coming, in telling him he was his father. Harry took this moment to just ponder that statement. Snape was his father. A part of him was a Snape. If he was part Snape and part Evans, then that would mean that the only way that could have happen is if Snape and his mom had –

"_Oh my gosh!_" he thought. Images that shouldn't be in his head just floated into the forefront of his mind. Harry quickly put the sheet over his face, turned over and started screaming into his pillow, "Oh, Merlin. Oh, get out of my head, get out of my head, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" He started to kick his legs and put his arms over his head to try and get all those disgusting thought out of his head. "That is NOT right!"

Suddenly, Harry heard the door to the Hospital Wing close. Harry stopped moving. He had a sneaking suspicion of who was at the door, and it wasn't helping the thoughts in his head at all.

Snape walked into the hospital wing and found Harry thrashing in his bed screaming something that he couldn't decipher into his pillow. But once he closed the door, Harry stopped moving. Snape was confused, but decided to wait and see what Harry would do. Apparently, that was to act as if nothing happened.

Harry decided to just face his professor – his father – and get it over with. Turning over he slowly brought the sheep down from his face to see a questioning Professor Snape in the doorway. "Hello, sir," Harry said.

"Sleep well?" Snape asked him.

"Yes, I-" he stopped, something in Snape's voice caught his attention. "Wait a minute, how long have I been asleep?" he asked the professor.

"A week," he replied simply.

"A week?! How was I asleep for a week?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey and I decided that, since you were doing more harm to yourself than good while awake, I brewed a potion so that you would sleep for a week and allow your injuries to heal," Snape told him.

"Oh," Harry said. "Ok, then." '_At least I can move!_' he thought.

"You have some visitors, if you feel up to it," Snape said.

Harry noticed a weird glint in Snape's eyes, he knew his friends were outside. "Yeah, I feel fine. That would be great!" he said sitting up, smiling. Snape nodded his head and went to open the door. Harry realized that Snape was trying to respect his friends, and that was weird all in itself, but he stopped thinking about it when he heard Snape snap, "Don't tire him, remember it is a hospital," then walked away.

That left the way clear for Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley to run in, even though surprise lighted their face for a moment, the three women all ran to him and wrapped their arms around him. Harry smiled, he knew they were worried, he was sure that Dumbledore told them that he was in the hospital wing and was going to be fine. But he was sure that no one took that news well. He wondered if they were told _why_ he was there.

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny cried. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said. Harry saw Ron, as well as all the other Weasley men, besides Percy, come into the room. Everyone looked like they were restraining themselves from asking a question, but refrained. Harry guessed that Dumbledore didn't tell them why he was here and also told them not to ask him. "So, how have your summers been going so far?" he asked to break the silence.

"It's been going alright," Hermione told him. "I've got most of my homework done, so I won't-"

"Wait a second," Ron said. "You said you have most of it _done_?" Ron asked in horror.

"Yes, why?" she asked, confused.

"It's only the beginning of August! How can you be starting homework, let alone be almost done?" he asked, scandalized.

"Well, might as well get it over with so I don't have to worry about it," she said rationally.

"Yes, Ronald. You should get right on your homework when we get from Grimmuald Place tonight," Mrs. Weasley told her son.

"But, Mum-"

"No 'but, Mum'! When we get back you will complete at least one assignment!  
She told her son.

"Molly," Mr. Weasley said quietly. "It is just the middle of summer, they have several weeks left to do their homework, and-"

Everyone was paying attention to the quarreling and didn't notice Harry draw into himself at the mention of his godfather's house. Ginny turned to smile at Harry and saw his face. She realized at once what caused him to withdraw, and she felt horrible. Harry had been stuck with those 'relatives', if you could even call them that, and hadn't been able to talk to anyone about Sirius. And with the mention of his house, Harry had all those memories come back to him full force. Ginny turned to Hermione, and motioned to Harry. She looked to Harry and then back at Ginny and gave her a questioning look. Confused, Ginny turned around and saw Harry smiling at the scene in front of him. She shook her head at her friend, who gave her a confused look, but turned back to see the ending of the argument.

Harry was happy that his friends were there, but because they mentioned Grimmuald Place, he remembered the one person, who was apart of his family who wasn't, and would never again, be there.

But soon enough everyone stopped arguing, and Harry put on his smile, so no one would think something was wrong. Everyone was smiling and chatting away, except for Ginny, who was studying him intently. A little confused, but deciding to just let it go, he talked with his friends and surrogate family.

"So, Harry how has your summer been?" Ron asked. Ginny smacked him hissing, "Ron!"

"Well, it's been alright I guess. Well, as good as it could be, being with the Dursley's and everything," he said, laughing slightly.

Everyone was surprised at Harry's light heartedness, but smiled at his joke. Ginny looked at Harry with a disbelieving look on her face. Harry had a feeling that she saw his moment of despair, and wasn't convinced of his façade.

"Alright everyone, I think it's time for us to give Harry some rest," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yeah, I'm sure he wants to enjoy his last night, right Harry?" Ron said.

Harry laughed, "Yeah, absolutely. I may not want to leave in the morning, I might beg Madam Pomfrey to let me stay!" he said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. Everyone laughed at that statement.

Everyone said goodbye and headed out, all except one. Ginny started walking out, but stayed behind. Walking back over to him, Harry said, "Something wrong?"

"Something wrong? With me, no. But something's wrong, Harry. You may have put up a cheery front for everyone, but something is wrong," she told him bluntly.

Harry thought, what would he _like_ to tell her? About him being pumbled by his uncle? About Snape being his father? Or how about talking about Sirius? Only one seemed good to talk about: Snape.

"Well, I guess there is some stuff that's bothering me. One thing that I just found out about." he told her. "I'm sure you have noticed my slight change in appearance?" he asked her, motioning to himself.

"Yeah, but Dumbledore told us not to ask you about it," she told him.

"Not surprised, but I'm glad that he did. For reasons that I don't want to talk about right now, Snape came and got me from the Dursleys and brought me here and told me something," he said. Taking a deep breath, he said bluntly, "Snape is my dad."

Ginny just stared at him, she seemed to have stopped breathing. Then she blinked, "You're kidding me, right?" she asked, laughing slightly. But at the sight of the seriousness of his face, she stopped laughing. "Oh, Merlin," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know. That's what I thought. I didn't believe him at first but," he paused. "What I don't understand is _why_! My mum was married to my – James – at the time, so how could this have happened?"

Ginny looked thoughtful, "I'm not sure, now that I think about it, it sounds fishy to me. From what I've heard, Lily loved James. She didn't seem the type who would cheat on her husband," she said, pausing. "You might want to ask him about it," she told him, shrugging her shoulders.

Harry nodded, he had a lot of things that he _needed_ to talk to Snape about, but he didn't necessarily _want_ to. "You know not to tell anyone right?" he asked, it was more of a statement than a question.

Ginny looked startled, "Of course, Harry," she said, as if he insulted her. "Mum's the word, I promise," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Ginny," he said. For a moment he thought of telling her about the Dursley's, but decided against it, maybe some day, but not today. Harry had an idea, "Ginny? Do you have a mirror?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head, "No, but I'm sure Madam Pomfrey has one, hang on," she told him, as she walked quickly over to the nurse's office and knocked and when the door opened, she quietly asked to borrow a mirror. After she was given the mirror, she said a quick thank you, and walked back over to Harry. She gave him the mirror, a confused look on her face.

"I haven't seen what I look like yet, Ginny," he told her.

"Oh, ok then," she said. Taking a seat in front of him, to take in his reaction.

Harry took a deep breath, and put the mirror up to his face. Gaping at his reflection he saw only one thing that was different about his appearance: his hair. His hair had somehow been straitened and lengthened! He had smooth locks of black hair, and then he saw that he had red highlights in his hair. But the one thing that surprised him was how strait and smooth it was! He expected to have a long hooked nose with greasy hair, but his new appearance made him look his age.

"I like how silky it feels," Ginny put in, running her hands through his hair for extra measure, making a shiver run down Harry's spine. "I would have thought, if you were a Snape, that you would have greasy hair, but it looks like your mom's genes won out."

"Yeah, that's what I thought when Snape told me I had changed in appearance. I flipped out, but I actually like this new look," he told her.

"Yeah, so do I," she said, smiling at him. "So." she said after a moment's pause. "Anything else you want to talk about?" she asked.

Harry heard a hopeful tome in her voice. He knew what she wanted him to talk about, but he wasn't ready for that yet. He could barley admit to himself that Sirius was gone, let alone talk about it to someone else.

"No, I'm good. Nothing else right now," he said.

"Oh, ok," she said, slightly disappointed. "You're sure you don't want to talk about anything?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks anyways."

Ginny smiled, "Anytime. I'm glad I could help. If you ever need to talk, let me know, I will always be here to listen," she said, leaning over for a hug.

Harry leaned over and took Ginny's invitation. When Harry and Ginny embraced, Harry felt butterflies go through his stomach. What was this new feeling that was going through his body? And why did he have a sudden urge to kiss her? Harry repressed those feelings so he could just hug her. It was a platonic hug, but somewhere inside him, he knew he wanted it to be more.

There was a cough from the hospital wing door, which had Ginny and Harry breaking away from each other and saw Snape standing in the doorway. Ginny turned back around and gave him a look that said, 'Talk to him!' "I'll go find mum, she's probably going to give me a good talking to. So I'll come back later, ok?" she told him.

"Why would your mum want to talk to you?" he asked, confused.

"I really wasn't suppose to be here. I was suppose to have left with her and everyone else, she probably isn't very happy that I stayed. But now I'd better go see her before I get into even more trouble," she told him, getting off his bed and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked to the door. Then turning back to him she said, "After we go back to Headquarters for a bit we'll probably be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer break, Harry, just so you know." And then left, saying 'Professor.'

Harry watched her leave, a little confused, but a smiled on his face just the same. He was very appreciative that she had said "Headquarters" instead of it's proper name. Harry then realized that Snape was still in the room, but walking toward his bed with a slight smirk on his face. "What?" Harry asked the professor.

"Absolutely nothing, Harry. Just watching your exchange with the young Ms. Weasley," he said, his smirk firmly in place.

Harry blushed slightly. "There's nothing going on, so don't get the wrong ideas!"

Snape gave Harry an 'I don't believe you' look, but let the subject drop none the less.

Harry decided to take wait to take Ginny's advice and talk to the professor a bit later, after they get to know each other a bit better. "So," Harry said, fidgeting with the sheet. "What's going to happen, now that I can get out of this place tomorrow?" Harry asked Snape.

Snape contemplated a moment before speaking, "Well, you heard Ms. Weasley, she and her family will be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. So, you have one of two choices," he told the young man in bed. "You can either go back to Gryffindor Tower and stay there, or you can come to my quarters, whichever you choose," Snape told him.

Harry thought for a moment, he would love to stay with his friends and be able to spend some quality time with them, '_And maybe get closer to Ginny_,' he thought, but squashed that thought before he could think more on it. But on the other hand, he needed, and wanted, to get to know the older man better, and he could see his friends anytime once school started. Weighing his options, he was about to answer when Snape said, "You don't have to answer today, just be ready to go someplace tomorrow." Snape told him quietly.

Harry nodded his head, willing to mull it over for tonight, but knowing what he wanted to do.

He was going to live with his snarky git of a Potions Master, who just so happened to be his father.


	4. Finally Out

1Hey all! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of In the Way! I'll let you guys get to the new chapter, but I want to say a big thank you to Nita for betaing this and all my other chapters for me! Please review after you read! Thanks!

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Chapter 4

Slowly, Harry awoke up from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was indeed morning. Looking around, he saw that no one was in the room, and was slightly confused. Harry looked at his watch and sighed, '_I need a new watch!_' he thought.

Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey's office door opened and Harry watched as the matron walked out with her wand in hand. "Good morning, Mr. Potter," she said, running her wand over him.

"Morning, Madam Pomfrey," he said, watching her do her last checkup on him.

"I take it you slept well?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll just be glad to get out of here!" he said, earning himself a slight glare from the nurse.

"Well," she said, lowering her wand. "It looks like you have made a full recovery, Mr. Potter, and you are free to go."

"Yes!" he said happily. "I-I mean, thank you, Madam Pomfrey," he said quickly, after getting a death glare from the older woman.

She gave him some clothes, and at his confused look, she said, "Professor Snape brought them in for you. I believe he said he got them from your trunk."

"Oh, OK," he said, still slightly confused. "But, how did Professor Snape get my trunk?"

"I went back and got it for you."

Harry started and looked toward the door to see Professor Snape coming out of the shadows and into the light. "Oh," Harry said, a little stunned that he could have done that. "That probably wasn't easy."

"It was a little easier than one might think, Mr. Potter," Snape said with a smirk, lifting his wand to get his point across.

Harry's eyes grew round with recognition. "Oh," he said, his voice filled with his recognition and curiosity.

"Yes," Snape continued. Actually, he was slightly stretching the truth. He had no idea where Harry's trunk was, and getting his 'relatives' to cooperate with him, well, that was rather easy. His smirk widened as he remembered his trip to Number 4 Privet Drive.

_Snape looked around at the house in front of him. The lawn was freshly cut and the flower beds free of weeds. He wondered how a yard could be so neat. He doubted that the inside was anything less than spick and span. Snape traveled up the path to the door, and because Snape had never been one for manners, even now that he was older and more mature, he opened the door with a quick 'Alohamora'_

_Walking in, he was quick in realizing that his assumption was correct: the house was spotless. But the only thing that was more surprising than the cleanliness of the house was the wall of pictures in the entranceway. There were no pictures of Harry anywhere. But once he really thought about it, he realized that there wouldn't be any pictures of Harry there, not with the way he found him almost a month ago. He was reminded quite forcefully that these people hated the boy. He found a rush of hatred towards these people so powerful that he just wanted to take out his wand and do a few colorful curses with it._

_Snape felt the ground start to shake and his first thought was, '_Since when do we have earthquakes_?', but he realized that the floor was shaking and the thundering was coming from above him. Slightly concerned that the ceiling would fall down on him, Snape moved into the shadows, away from the center of the room. Now curious, he watched the stairs to see what could cause all this racket. Which is why he was deeply puzzled when he saw a large person stomping down the stairs. '_Since when do people shake entire houses?_' he asked himself, smirking slightly. He realized at the sight of the person that it must have been Harry's cousin. Dumbledore had told him about this boy, but he didn't know his name._

_Snape's smirk widened when he thought of how to get the boy's attention. Stepping out of the shadows, behind the boy, he said, "Excuse me," And with a scream the boy jumped in the air and quickly turned around, saw Snape in his robes and menacing attitude and screamed louder and promptly ran into the other room yelling, "Daddy!"_

_Severus knew that it wouldn't be long until Mr. Dursley came into the room to find the disturbance. And sure enough, not ten seconds after the boy ran from Snape, a large beefy man came running into the room. _

"_What's going on here?" Vernon yelled._

"_I don't know, what is going on here?" Severus asked, mocking Vernon._

"_You're one of those _freaks_ aren't you?" he asked._

_Severus narrowed his eyes and looked down at the fat man, "What do you mean by _freaks_, Mr. Dursley?" he asked._

_Vernon hesitated slightly, but then he started to advance on Severus and said, "Get out of my house! You have no business being here!"_

_But Snape stood his ground. He knew that this man wanted him out, but a thought came to his mind, and he smiled evilly. "You know what Mr. Dursley, I do have business here. I would like Mr. Potter's things if you don't mind," he told him, flashing his wand at the man._

_Vernon opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but at the sight of the wand his mouth snapped shut, and with much regret, he replied, "Hold on, I'll get it for you." _

_Vernon wasn't stupid, he knew what that wand could do, and he didn't want anything to happen to him. So he knew what he had to do, even if he didn't like it: He had to go up and get the stupid trunk. So he walked up the stairs, making sure to keep Snape in sight until he couldn't see Snape anymore._

_Snape moved quickly, but quietly to the living room, where Petunia and the boy were sitting. He smirked, and walked into the room. The boy was the first to spot him, and once he was spotted, the boy ran from the room at a speed that no one could run even if they weren't that large. Petunia's head snapped over to look at him, and Snape was surprised that she didn't get whiplash._

"_Hello, Petunia," he said lightly. He sat down in the armchair that was next to the couch. He didn't need to sit next to the woman to freak her out. It seemed as if he was doing just that even though he was several feet away from her._

"_What are _you_ doing here?" she asked._

"I_ am here for Mr. Potter's things. I didn't know where they were, so I enlisted the help of your husband," he told her._

_That seemed to be the statement that makes Petunia Dursley move. She got off of the couch and ran out of the room and up the stairs faster than he could have given a Gryffindor a detention. Snape smirked and watched as Vernon and Petunia came back into the room, pulling the trunk between them. Once Vernon saw that the _freak_ was sitting in his chair, he dropped the trunk. But before he could do anything, Severus flashed his wand again, and gave him a look that said, 'Do you really want to do that?'_

_Saying a quiet 'Accio, trunk', Severus watched as the two adults jumped away from the trunk as it floated toward Severus. Ignoring their stupefied expressions, Snape opened the trunk and did a quick search to make sure everything was there. He knew that he would have to ask Harry once he got back to Hogwarts if he left anything else in any hidden places. But before he could close the lid, he saw some silvery material and shifted the items around to uncover Harry's invisibility cloak. A few months ago, if he had found this in Harry's trunk he would have confiscated it. Now, he smiled slightly and put it back and closed the lid as he stood up._

"_Well, your hospitality has been wonderful, I have greatly enjoyed my stay. I'm sorry to say I must go now, but rest assured, we will meet again. And when we do, it won't be a pleasant meeting," Severus said, narrowing his eyes at the couple. The two adults just nodded, '_Probably too scared to say anything,_' Snape thought with a smirk. Severus shrunk Harry's trunk and started walking toward the door. He got to the stairway when he remembered something, "His owl, where is she?" he asked the two people standing in the doorway to the living room._

"_We don't know, it hasn't come back since he left." Came the response from Petunia._

_Severus didn't even acknowledge the remark, but just swept up the stairs and out of sight. Coming to the room that he had been only a month or so ago, he slowly opened the door and quickly walked inside and started looking for the cage. He knew that since she wasn't there, that she had flown to Hogwarts when she came back from hunting; He only assumed that she had been hunting when the event with Harry and Dursley took place. From the way that he treated Harry, Snape knew that that man would have killed Harry's owl, and probably in front of him too to cause him more pain. The only place that the cage could be, would be in the closet, for he had looked everywhere else except there. And sure enough, once he opened the door, he saw the cage, which could have done with some cleaning out. He did a quick cleaning spell, shrunk the cage, pocketed it, and then walked downstairs. After sharing a glare with the couple, and somehow knowing that he would be back, he walked out the door and quickly apparated back to Hogwarts._

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End Flashback

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Coming out of his thoughts, he looked at Harry and said, "So, have you decided where you will be staying for the summer?"

Harry smiled shyly, "Well, I was thinking that I could move down to the dungeons, with you," he finished after a slight pause.

Snape nodded slightly, "Very well, why don't you get dressed and then we can go down and you can look around."

Harry nodded, then the curtains around his bed were drawn and he was able to get dressed so he could finally leave the Hospital Wing. While getting dressed, Harry took the time to ponder what moving in with Snape would really mean. He was sure that it would be quite awkward at the beginning. They didn't fully trust each other yet, how could they? They had been fighting for the better part of 5 years! It would take time and patience for them to be able to trust the other.

Wondering what the next few weeks were going to be like, he opened the curtains and stepped out. As he and Snape were walking down toward the dungeons, he wondered: _What will I be able to do? Will I still be able to go where I want, when I want? _He was sure that there would be some rules put into place, and he would definitely have to abide by them. But he was also wondering how Voldemort would take all of this if he found out. He would have to ask Snape that later, when they had a better understanding of each other, and some trust. Harry was glad that he had stopped thinking at that moment, because they were now approaching a painting in the dungeons, and Harry was about to step into his new home, which would definitely change his life. For the better or worse, he didn't know, but he was about to find out.

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Hey guys, I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, and if you did, just click the button and send me a review. They are always welcome!! If you have any questions or want to talk about anything, just send me an email and we'll chat! Lol. Well, I'll let you all go, and review, hopefully! Thanks to all who have reviewed, I really appreciate it!!

-Jen


	5. A New Home

Chapter 5

Harry gapped at the size of the room that he was standing in. It had to be three times the size of his bedroom back at the Dursleys. "What room is this? Is it a ballroom?" Harry asked Snape, still amazed at the size. He had imagined Snape having Slytherin quarters, complete with green walls and silver furniture. But this room was nothing like that. The room was painted a gray color while two armchairs _were_ green there also was a deep red sofa placed on the sides of the couch. Harry could see a bit of a kitchen off of this room, which he believed was the living room. There was also a hallway in front of where he was standing which probably led to Snape's bedroom and maybe a study.

Snape smirked, "No, this is the living room."

"Oh, I knew that," Harry said quickly, but couldn't keep a straight face afterwards.

"Follow me," Snape told Harry. Harry quickly followed behind the Potions Master, curious as to what he was showing him now. "And this," Snape said, opening the door. "Is now your room."

Harry quietly walked inside and examined his room. The actual room was a bit bigger than his room back at the Dursley's, but not significantly larger. There was a full size bed on the right wall, the head facing the door, a closet that looked like it could hold three people's clothes on the left wall, and on the wall directly across from the door there was a desk where Harry would be able to do his summer homework, which he hadn't gotten any done yet. That thought triggered something in his mind, "Oh no!" he said, spinning around to face Snape. "When you went to get my stuff, did you look in the trunk?" Harry asked the older man.

"Yes I did, and your wand was there," Snape asked.

"No, that's not it, some of my books aren't there, they're under the floorboard under the bed. I had to try and do some homework during the summer. Though I wasn't very successful. But I did half of your essay," Harry said, slightly ranting.

"You did half of my essay?" Snape asked Harry, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, yeah. I didn't have any time to do more, or anyone else's for that matter," Harry said bitterly.

"So you decided to do my assignment first?"

"Yeah, I always do. I make sure that it's done so when I get back I wouldn't -" Harry stopped, realizing what he was about to say.

"When you get back what?" Snape asked, pretty sure of what Harry's next statement was going to be.

"Nothing. I just need to get my books back so I can do my work." Harry said, turning around to look at the room once more.

"Alright, I will go get the items under the bed. Is there any other place that you hid your stuff? Or that your relatives took?" Snape asked.

Harry thought for a moment, "No, that's it."

Snape nodded and then said, "I will be gone for no more than 30 minutes. You can un-pack if you wish."

Harry nodded, and it wasn't until Snape walked out of the room and down the hall did he realize what he was missing. "Professor!" he yelled, running out to catch him before he left. He ran back into the living room and saw that he had been close to leaving. "My owl. I let her out to go hunting before…I left. Was she there when you got there?" he asked, slightly scared for his beloved owl's safety.

"No, she was not. I retrieved her cage for you, it's in the closet along with your trunk," Snape told him.

Harry sighed, he knew he had a smart owl, but just wanted to be sure she was safe. When Snape left, he would go up to the owlry to be sure.

Snape nodded one last time and said, "I'll be back later."

Once Snape left, Harry walked back to his room and went to the closet to check his trunk. Harry opened the closet doors and pulled out his trunk with some difficulty, but was able to get it to the center of the room. He opened the lid and his eyes widened. His invisibility cloak was on top of everything. Not that he thought that Snape didn't know about it, he did. But he was slightly surprised that he didn't confiscate it so he couldn't use it. He then quickly rummaged through the trunk and after throwing things all over the place, he found it: The Marauders Map. Sighing with relief, Harry gently put it back in the trunk. Looking around the room, he realized how messy it now was, so he quickly put his clothes away and put the other stuff that he didn't need back in his trunk.

Harry was starting to get jittery, he decided that he would finish putting stuff away later. He needed to go check on Hedwig. Harry all but ran out of Snape's quarters and up the stairs, taking the familiar rout to the Owlry. Once in sight of the Owlry doors he ran faster, and finally made it to the door, and quickly opened it, saying "Hedwig?"

Harry saw the white blur of his beloved owl flying towards him. He sighed with relief and smiled as she landed on his shoulder, where she hooted and nipped his ear. "I missed you too, Hedwig!" Harry said, relief poring from him. "I'm so happy to see that you're safe. You're so smart, girl!" he told her. Hedwig hooted and gave Harry a soft nip on his finger to tell him that she appreciated the compliment. Harry snickered, and was completely un-aware of someone in the room with him until he told Hedwig that he would be back later and he turned around. Harry jumped slightly when he saw Ginny at the doorway, smiling. "Hey, Ginny," he said, sighing slightly. "What are you doing here? You scared me!" he said, smiling.

"Nothing much, I just saw you running down the halls and I started wondering why you were running, so I followed you," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry smirked, "Well, I was just checking on Hedwig, I didn't know where she was so I was starting to get worried."

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, I would too if that happened to me," she said. Ginny studied Harry for a moment then asked, "Do you want to go outside for a while? You've been inside for a good few weeks now right?"

Harry smiled, "Yeah, I have. Going outside sounds like a great idea."

Walking out of the Owlry Ginny asked, "So, what are you planning to do for the last few weeks of summer?"

Harry thought for a moment, "Well, I'll probably hang out with you guys, actually do my homework, and spend some time with Snape."

Ginny nodded but then stopped and asked, "Homework? You mean you aren't done yet?"

Harry shook his head, "Nope, I hardly got started on it. I got about half of Snape's done, but that's it."

"Why? What have you been doing all summer that you didn't do your homework?" she asked him.

Harry thoughts immediately went to his uncle and everything that happened, but quickly squashed those thoughts and decided to give her a half-truth, "Well, my uncle didn't like me doing my homework, so I didn't really have time. I usually did it in the middle of the night under my blankets with the flashlight, so I didn't wake them."

Ginny's eyes widened, "What do you mean they didn't like you doing homework? How did you always have your homework done then?" she asked.

Harry thought for a moment, "Well, I did it when I could. When I was at your house or somewhere else, I found time."

Ginny made a noise which Harry couldn't decipher into a bad noise or a good noise, but something that had been on her mind for a while came back into focus, "Hey, Harry, what is Snape going to do?"

Harry looked at her, confused, "What do you mean, 'What is he going to do?'?"

"Well, he is still a spy right? Well, if Voldemort finds out that you're his _son_," she said, pausing. "What do you think he's going to do to Snape?" she said, as they walked outside into the warm breeze.

"That's a good question, Ginny," he told her. "One that I am going to ask Snape when he gets back."

"Gets back? What do you mean? Where did he go?" she asked, slightly curious yet alarmed.

"He went to go get my books that I left under my bed. My uncle would have heard if I had gotten into my trunk to keep getting my books, so I have a loose floorboard under my bed that I keep stuff in. It's where I hid all my treats that everyone sent me in fourth year," he told her.

"Oh, ok," she said, relaxing some. "At least he'll be back soon."

"Yeah," Harry said. Not that he would admit it to anyone, since Ginny meantioned it, he was now worried about what Snape would do. Would he keep on going as a spy? And what would happen if he got caught? Harry knew he wouldn't be totally relaxed until he saw the professor, and made sure he was alright.

The two teens sat in silence for a while, each in their own thoughts. They had only been outside a little less than ten minutes when Ginny heard a low rumble. She looked over at Harry and smiled, "Hungry?"

Harry smiled back, "Yeah, I didn't have any breakfast this morning, and all that worrying about Hedwig has gotten me hungry." He conveniently forgot to leave out 'and Snape' in his list of worries.

Ginny stood up and stretched, and said, "Well, you're in luck, it's about lunch time, so we can go in and eat while you wait for Professor Snape," she said, offering Harry a hand up.

Taking her hand, he got up and said, "Sounds like a good plan to me. We'd better get in there soon or else Ron will have eaten everything up and we won't be able to have anything until dinner."

"True, let's go," she said. Deciding quickly she said, "Race ya!" she yelled and she started sprinting towards the castle.

Harry, finally able to make his legs work after the shock of her running off, started to sprint after her. He was able to catch up with her easily because she was laughing so hard, but once he caught up to her she stopped laughing and started to run faster.

"I WON!" Ginny yelled, as she ran up to the door.

"No! I won!" Harry debated.

"No, you just don't want to admit being beaten by a girl!" she sated, punching Harry on the arm.

Harry smiled, but stuck out his tongue at her. Ginny laughed and pushed Harry inside and toward the Great Hall. Harry laughed as they entered the room. Everyone looked up as they entered, and all of their friends smiled as they saw Harry laughing and having a good time. They sat down and started eating and talking about the rest of summer and the upcoming school year.

They were almost done eating when the doors opened again, and in came Professor Snape. When Harry saw Snape he sighed with relief as he walked up to the table to eat. Harry looked up to see Snape looking at him. When they locked eyes Snape gave Harry a look that said, 'When you're done, we need to talk.' Harry nodded but was nervous, what happened?

After seeing Snape get up, he excused himself and followed behind the professor back to his chambers. Harry just realized that if Snape hadn't come back, he wouldn't have known how to get back to his new home. He made sure to pay more attention this time around. After Snape said the password, which Harry didn't hear, they walked in.

Harry looked confusedly at Snape as he sat down. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, you tell me. When I came back and saw you gone and your trunk open, what was I to think when I couldn't find you?"

Harry cringed, he hadn't thought of what would happen when he left. He didn't even expect to be gone as long as he had, but when he started talking to Ginny he forgot till it was lunchtime. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to be gone as long as I had."

"I realize you were worried about your owl, which is why I'm not extremely upset. But, when you go missing, it's hardly ever good." Snape said, even though there was no trace of a smile, Harry knew he was joking – sort of.

Harry smiled, "Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to be worried." He said awkwardly.

"Well, I think now would be a good time to set up some ground rules."

Harry gulped, "Rules?"

"Yes rules. I was going to talk to you tonight, but now seems like a good time as any," he said, sitting down.

Harry nodded. He knew that there would have to be some rules, but it was what the rules were going to be that made him nervous.

"Until school starts there will be an eleven o'clock curfew, agreed?" he asked, much to Harry's surprise, he would have thought that he would demand it. When Harry nodded his head in agreement he continued, "You are to let me know when you go anywhere, I won't keep you locked in here all summer, but you will need to be back by nine until you homework is completed. But," he said, as Harry looked horrified. "You will be able to work with your friends if you need help, or if they need your help."

That seemed reasonable to Harry, after all, it was better than what he was used to, so he nodded in agreement and said, "Alright,"

"And," Snape said, '_I can't believe I'm saying this_,' "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask, alright?" he said awkwardly.

Harry smiled shyly, he wasn't used to anyone telling him that and it felt good to know that someone cared; even if it was Snape. "Thanks," Harry said quietly.


	6. Talks and Surprises

Chapter 6

"So, what are you planning on doing today?"

"Um, I'm not sure, probably do some homework and hang out with my friends," he said hesitantly.

"OK, then, just make sure that you get most of it done before long, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said as he went back to his breakfast. This time yesterday he had been in the Hospital Wing, and after he left he and Snape talked for a bit. Nothing much happened after that except that he did some of his homework that he be unable to do yet. Harry had surprisingly finished Snape's essay and had done a little more than half of Flitwick's before turning in for the night.

The two didn't talk much at the table, if they did, it was just small talk. Harry was excited to go see his friends, for he hadn't seen them since they came to the Hospital Wing two days earlier.

Finishing up, Harry asked, "Can I go to the common room?"

Snape said, "Sure, but remember your homework, if you need to, take some with you and do some with your friends."

Harry nodded, "Ok," he said, and he got up and went back to his room. He walked down the hall and went his room to get his bag and put some books and some parchment inside before heading out.

"Bye," Harry said, heading for the portrait.

"Harry,"

Harry turned around to look at Snape, "Be back before lunch,"

"OK," he sighed before heading out the portrait to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry took the familiar path to the place he has called home for the past five years. Harry smiled as the portrait of the Fat Lady came into view. But when he got up to the portrait, he realized-

"Password?"

Harry sighed, "There's passwords given out this early?" he asked her.

"Yes, and if you don't have a password you can't get in," she said stubbornly.

Harry sighed again, he was going that a lot lately. "Fine, then I'll just sit out here screaming people's names till they come out of the common room to let me in, if you like that better?"

The Fat Lady gave Harry a glare, but let Harry in none the less. Smiling, he climbed into the common room to see Hermione, Ron and Ginny talking quietly on the far side of the room. "Hey guys!" Harry said.

The three friends jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and quickly looked over at the portrait hole to see Harry standing there.

"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, standing up and walking over to give him a hug, and led him over to where they were talking.

"So what's going on?" Harry asked them.

"Nothing much, just talking about school and if Snape's going to be the git that he usually is in school. I mean, is that guy ever happy? I mean, living in the dungeons can make anyone depressed, especially if they live down there 24/7!" Ron said.

Harry shared a quick look with Ginny to confirm that she hadn't told Ron his situation. And looking in her eyes, he saw that she didn't tell them. Sighing, he realized that he needed to tell them that Snape was his father.

"Guys? I need to tell you something."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you remember when you guys came to see me in the hospital wing?"

"Yeah," Ron said, confusion written all over his face.

"Well, about a week before I had gotten some information from Snape before I had taken a potion that made me sleep for about a week."

"And what was that, Harry?" Hermione asked, concern evident in her voice.

"He said that he got a 'missive' from my mum, to be magically delivered two days before my sixteenth birthday. And in it he said-" he paused, taking a deep breath. "He said that James Potter wasn't my biological dad."

Hermione and Ron looked confused for a second, then their confusion turned to horror and surprise. "WHAT?" they both screamed together.

Harry had to chuckle, "Yeah, Snape is my father. Didn't you notice my change in appearance?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Ron said. "But Dumbledore told us not to ask you about it."

"Yeah I know he did, and I'm actually quite grateful for it too. 'Cause I didn't think I would have been able to explain it and have you guys act rationally."

Hermione and Ron looked slightly guilty at that, knowing that they would have over reacted. "I guess you're right, Harry," Ron said.

Harry smiled, "So, now I get to stay here and hang out with you guys, even though I'm going to be staying with Snape for the rest of the summer. I have my own room and everything. It's still a bit weird to think of Snape as my dad, but I'll probably get used to it."

Harry and Ginny shared a smile before she asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

They all shared a glance, thinking about what they wanted to do together, then Harry got an idea, "I got it! Let's go flying!" he said.

"Flying?" Hermione asked. "But, I can't fly!" she protested.

Harry, Ginny, and Ron shared an evil exchange of glances and grins. And Hermione, realizing what was going on, tried to make her escape, "No, no no no, I will NOT!" she yelled, running for the door.

She got half way there when Ron ran to her and caught her before she could get to the portrait. "GET OFF OF ME! LET ME GO RON!" she yelled, trying to get free.

"What should we do?" Harry asked Ginny. Ginny gave him a look that said, 'What do you think?' Harry smiled, "That's what I was thinking too," he said, taking out his wand.

"HARRY?! HARRY, DON'T YOU DARE OR I'LL-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry said, as he watched Hermione completely stiffen with a look of rage planted on her face. He figured he was going to be in a lot of trouble, but he wanted to fly, and he wanted to do it with all his friends.

Harry smiled and said, "Come on, I have to go get my broom, it's in the dungeons."

"The dungeons?" Ron asked quietly, having quite a time carrying Hermione, so he decided to have her float, so he put her on the ground and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

They all walked, except for Hermione who flew, down the halls to the dungeons and Harry lead them to Snape's quarters. But when he got to the portrait, he realized that he didn't have a password to get in! "Uh," Harry said, looking at his friends.

"Call for him," Ginny said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry laughed, "Oh, yeah. Professor?!" Harry yelled to the portrait. And to his surprise Snape opened the portrait a few seconds after his call. He spotted his friends down the corridor and quickly let Harry in.

"Thanks, Professor, I just need to get my broom, we're going to do some flying," he said, going back to his room. He opened the door, went to the foot of the bed and opened the trunk. He quickly located his broom and brought it out, leaving some items on the floor that he threw out to actually get to the broom, then walked back out to the living room.

"What, may I ask, did you do to Miss Granger?" Snape asked Harry when he got back into the room.

Harry smiled, "Well, Ron, Ginny and I all wanted to go flying, but Hermione doesn't like flying, so we kind of petrified her and levitated her along," he said. And at that moment an image of Snape flying before Sirius coming out of the Whomping Willow came to his mind and Harry had to struggle not to laugh.

"What?" Snape asked.

Composing himself quickly he said, "Nothing, sir. I'm going to go, I'll be back before lunch!" And he ran out of the portrait, ran down the hall, past his friends, turned the corner and the laughter that had built up burst as he laughed, holding on to the wall for support.

His friends ran to find out why he ran away from his new quarters to find him barley holding himself up while laughing his head off. Very confused, Ginny and Ron exchanged glances, but both were smiling, they hadn't seen Harry laugh like that since Sirius died a few months earlier. "Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry finally calmed down and told his friends about his image that came to his head, "Well, Snape saw Hermione and asked me about it when I got my broom and came back into the living room. After I explained what had happened, what Hermione is going through made me think of what happened in my third year. Ginny, you won't understand, because you weren't there, but when we were coming out of the Whomping Willow with Snape, he was being levitated by Sirius out of the willow, and he didn't care that Snape's head was being scrapped across the ceiling of the willow!"

After the image came to mind, Ron laughed and said, "I remember that! I was tied to Petegrew, but I did see what was happening."

Taking a deep breath, Harry smiled, "OK, let's go, I'm sure Hermione thought that was funny, but if we keep her like that for too much longer, she will definitely kill us more painfully."

Nodding with agreement, Ron and Ginny followed Harry out to the pitch. Once in sight of it Harry smiled and breathed in the sent that the grounds gave. "Do you guys mind if I go on ahead?" he asked.

Ron and Ginny both could see that Harry wanted to get in the air, so giving their consent, he jumped on his broom and took off, and Ron and Ginny ran the rest of the way to the pitch, Hermione in tow.

Once they got there, Harry touched down next to Ron, Ginny, and the floating Hermione. "OK, so you guys ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we have just one problem," Ginny said.

"What? What's the problem?" he asked.

"We only have three brooms and there are four of us. So what's Hermione going to do?" she asked.

Even stiffened, Hermione seemed to relax somewhat, but then Ron said, "She can ride behind me."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry said after a moment of thought. "OK, give me your wand so you can mount on," he told him, reaching for his wand. After Ron gave him his wand, he mounted onto his broom. Harry gently raised Hermione on position on the broom and told Ron, "Fly up a bit." Ron complied, and he started raising and stopped when Harry said, "OK, that's good. Now she can't jump off!"

Ron smiled and said, "Great idea, Harry!"

And Harry gave the warning that he was going to let her go, "You might want to hang on Hermione," Harry yelled up to her. "Finite Incontartem!" Harry yelled, and a second later Hermione screamed and grabbed Ron around his mid-section before she fell off.

Nodding to Ginny, they mounted their own brooms and soared into the air. After a few minutes of, "RONALD WEASLEY, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" and "HARRY POTTER YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET THIS!" Hermione started to calm down and seemed to enjoy being in the air.

"She seems to be relaxing finally," Ginny said, flying up next to Harry.

"Yeah, she does," he told her. But taking a closer look he said, "They both do, actually," he said, slightly suspicious. And sure enough Ron and Hermione were quietly talking, and had weird smiles on their faces.

"You're right, they do," Ginny said. Then Harry saw an evil grin spread across her face.

"So," Harry said, trying to get her mind away from giving Ron a hard time. "What are we going to do about players? Ron could be keeper, and we could be chasers, but who would be the other team?" he asked her.

And before she could answer an answer was given, "What about us?"

Harry and Ginny both turned to the voices to see Fred, George, and Bill all on brooms.

Harry smiled, "Sure, why not?" he told them, motioning Ron over to explain what was going on.

"You are going to get your arses kicked big time, little ones," Fred said to the three Hogwarts students, throwing the quaffle in the air.

"Yeah? Well, we'll just see about that!" Ginny said, taking the quaffle from Fred and sped toward the opposite goal post.

"We so beat you guys!" Ron yelled, as he flew to the ground.

"Yeah right! If you call that winning, I hate to see what Gryffindor is going to do this year to win the cup!" George yelled back, reaching the ground with everyone else.

"Alright! Alright, no arguing!" Harry said quickly, before a larger argument could start. Harry gasped, "Is it almost time for lunch?" he asked quickly.

At that moment a loud growl was heard and everyone turned to Ron, who looked sheepish. "I'd say that's a yes," Ginny laughed.

"OK, 'cause Snape wanted me back before lunch," he said, and started walking toward the castle.

"Why would Snape want to see you before lunch? Yet alone at all?" Fred asked, confused.

Harry sighed: he was going to be late. "You guys explain, I have to go, I'll talk to you guys later," he said.

"Wait, Harry!" Ron yelled, before Harry could go. When he turned around, Ron said, "I forgot, I was going to ask you something about Snape. What's he going to do? I wouldn't think that You-Know-Who would be that pleased to hear that Snape is-"

"I'm going to ask him. I'll let you guys know later, but right now, I have to go before Snape gets upset." And he hoped on his broom and flew back to the castle.

Harry ran down the corridor and knocked on the portrait. Snape opened it and Harry walked in, "Sorry, Professor, we were playing Quidditch and I lost track of time."

"Don't worry, you weren't that late," he said.

"Professor? Could we talk before we have lunch?" Harry asked quickly, before he lost his nerve.

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Snape asked.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. When Snape looked confused he explained further, "With spying. I'm sure that once Voldemort finds out – sorry, once he finds out, I don't think he'll be that happy with you. And he's sure to find out, especially when school starts!"

Snape looked thoughtful, "Well, I'll go talk to Dumbledore, but I'm sure that I won't be going to any more meetings after school starts," he told Harry.

Harry sighed, "That's good."

"Why good?" Snape asked.

"Because you would die when Vol – sorry, when he finds out, and that would be another death that was my fault," he said without thinking, but once he said it, he wished he could take back everything he just said.

"What?" Snape said, his head snapping to look at his young student/son.

"Uh, nothing, I didn't say anything. So, what's for lunch?" Harry asked, moving toward the table, turning his back to Snape.

"Why on earth would you think that anything that has happened is your fault? Besides Black's death, who do you think is your fault?" Snape asked. He knew that Harry felt guilty about Black, but he didn't know that there were others involved as well. Nothing that had happened was Harry's fault, and he was going to make him understand that.

"No one, it was just the slip of the tongue, I didn't mean anything by it," he said forcefully, trying to get Snape off his back.

"None of this is your fault, Pot – Harry! It's the Dark Lord's and no one else's, why would you feel that anything was your fault?" he asked.

"Because I told him to take the cup with me!" Harry yelled. Then realizing what he said, he groaned: he needed to take control of his mouth again. "I didn't mean to say that," he whispered to himself.

"Do you mean Diggory? That was the Petegrew's fault, not to mention that idiot Crouch, he's the one that made that cup into a portkey, why would any of that be your fault?"

Harry sighed, he really didn't want to talk about this, "Because, if I hadn't told him to take the cup with me he wouldn't have gotten killed! And did you forget that he used MY blood to come back to life?"

"That doesn't make it your fault," he said. Harry started to argue but he quickly said, "Did you know it was a portkey?"

Harry stopped, "No, but-"

"But nothing. If you knew that the cup would take you to that graveyard then yes, it would have been your fault. But since you didn't you were just another one of the Dark Lord's unsuspecting victims," Snape said forcefully.

Harry sighed, but before he could answer a voice came from behind both of them.

"Severus?"

The pair both turned to see Albus Dumbledore's head in the fire, looking at them both, sadness lurking in their depths.

"How long have you been there, headmaster?" Snape asked

"Not to long, you're requested in the Great Hall for lunch, both of you," Dumbledore said.

Snape sighed, "Very well, Albus, we'll be right there," he said.

Before he left, Dumbledore turned to Harry and gave him a very sad look before he left. Harry knew that Dumbledore would want to talk after lunch, and he sighed as he followed Snape out of their quarters to the Great Hall.

Snape opened the door, and Harry walked in behind him.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!"

Harry staggered backward, not believing what he was seeing. Everyone was wearing party hats and was smiling at his reaction. Harry just stood there, stunned that his friends were all here, wishing him a late happy birthday. "Thanks guys, you didn't have to do this you know."

"Of course we did! We missed your birthday, so we decided to hold a surprise birthday party for you!" Hermione said, giving Harry a hug.

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it," he said, smiling at everyone.

"Come on, Harry, we have cake!" Ginny said, dragging him toward the table that was set up in the middle with a huge cake that said, 'Happy Birthday, Harry!' on it with a few snitches and brooms on for decoration. Harry smiled, he was so touched that his friends would do something like this for him.

Then they started singing, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Harry, Happy birthday to you!" Harry was smiling and blushing profusely when they ended the song, he wasn't uesd to people singing to him.

Then Mrs. Weasley said, "Harry, dear, it's time to cut the cake," as she handed Harry the cutter.

Harry looked at her confused, "Why do I get this?" he asked.

Mrs. Weasley said, "The person who has the birthday cuts the first piece."

"Oh, ok," Harry replied, taking the cutter and cut the cake, and placed the piece on a plate that Mrs. Weasley gave him.

Harry tried to give the piece to Mrs. Weasley, but she said, "No, dear, you get the first piece, it's another tradition."

Harry put the plate on the table and Mrs. Weasley said, "You can start, Harry," and continued to cut the cake, and passed them out to everyone else. By the time everyone had gotten their pieces, Ron was completely done and Harry and Ginny were about done, when Ginny said, "Let's open presents now!"

"Ginny - "

"It's fine Mrs. Weasley, I don't mind, I'm done anyways," Harry said, taking his last bite. "The cake was delicious!"

"Oh, well thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, levitating the presents over to Harry's seat.

Harry smiled, since Hogwarts started, he had a reason to be happy that it was his birthday, before he had never had one. Harry picked the one on the top that had beautiful green wrapping paper. On top of the gift, there was a card, it was a moving picture of him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all standing together. Inside the card it read:

Harry,

We hope you have the best birthday you've ever had! May all your birthday wishes come true!

Love from,

Ron and Ginny.

Harry smiled, "Who made the card?" he asked.

"I did!" Ginny said. With a skeptical look that Harry gave her she continued, "With a bit of help from mum and dad of course!"

Harry laughed, he opened the gift and saw a variety of sweets. There were Berty Botts every flavor beans, Ice Mice, some of Droobles Best Bubble Gum, Sugar Quills, and lots of Chocolate Frogs. "Thanks, guys!"

Harry continued opening his presents; some new tricks from Fred and George, a book called 'Auror 101: The basics on How to become a Great Auror' from Hermione, some rock cakes (which he would make sure not to eat) and a usual card from Hagrid. From Dumbledore he received a small pensive that could hold several thoughts at a time, Remus gave him a book entitled: Curses, Hexes, and Spells for Self Defense and Attack, and when he opened Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's gift he gasped.

"Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, why did you give me this?" he asked, looking at his gift.

"Well, you're just like a seventh son to us, Harry. And we feel that you should have your own hand on our clock," Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

Harry smiled down at the hand of the Weasley Family Clock, it looked just like all the others except it had Harry's picture and his name engraved on it. "Thank you," Harry said, getting up and giving Mrs. Weasley a hug.

Harry saw her wipe her eyes when he went to sit back down. He grabbed the last present and what he saw made his heart stop. How did he get this? '_Remus probably brought it_,' he thought. It was his name, but the handwriting was so distinct that he knew who's writing it was immediately.

"Harry?" Ginny asked quietly.

Harry's head jerked up, and he took in everyone's faces, but before anyone could say anything else, Harry ran from the room.

Harry ran as fast as his legs would carry him out of the Great Hall, he knew that everyone was watching him run out of the room but he didn't care. All he knew was that he had to get out of that room. He ran to the first place that came to his mind: the room of requirement. He knew that he could have some privacy in that room and no one could come in till he wanted them to.

Harry finally reached the room and quickly went back and forth three times and the door finally opened and he went inside and locked the door. Harry sat down on the couch that was in the room, and collapsed on it. He closed his eyes and delayed looking at the package that he was clutching to his chest, but he knew he would have to, so he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He stared at the package that was in his hands, wondering what it could be. Taking a deep breath, Harry carefully took the brown paper off, careful not to rip the paper near the writing.

Once the paper was gone, Harry was staring at a medium sized wood box. He saw that there was a lock, but no where was there a keyhole or a key in sight. "How did he expect me to get this thing open?!" he asked himself. But suddenly a piece of paper came out of the box and floated in front of him, and it had his name on it. Harry grabbed the paper and opened the envelope.

Harry,

If you're reading this letter, then something has happened to me and I'm not around. I hope that I was protecting you at the time, and I will make sure to keep protecting you from where ever I am. Harry, I know you, and if you were around when whatever happened to me happened, then I know you're blaming yourself. But, you have to listen to me Pronglett, unless you gave me over to whoever did me in, then it wasn't your fault. I hope that you don't think it was, but, I'm afraid that you probably will. I hope you enjoy what's in the box, I told Remus to give it to you if anything were to happen to me. To open it just say the password I'm sure you'll figure it out! And if not, just ask Moony.

Love always, your Godfather,

Sirius

Harry looked down at the paper, and the only thing that made him not cry was the puzzle ahead of him. He knew that when he took the time and came back and read it again, he would dissolve into tears, and he didn't want to do that, so he put his full mind to the puzzle that Sirius had given him.

"Ok, so, what kind of passwords would he use? Something that no one else would know, so it wouldn't be Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, Marauders, or Hogwarts," he said to the box, in the off chance that he was right, but when the box didn't open he continued. "It would definitely not Harry or godson. WHAT IS IT?!" he ended up yelling in frustration.

"Read the letter again."

Harry whipped around to see Remus standing at the door. "What? How did you-"

"I am a Marauder, Harry. And we figured out a way to get in without knowing what the person was thinking," Remus told him, smiling mischievously.

"There goes this place for a hide out," Harry whispered.

Remus chuckled, "Read the letter again, Harry. He said that you would figure it out, so just take a good look at the letter. You were correct in your assumption, he didn't use anything that anyone else would know, think!"

Harry looked at the letter again, and read it through several times before he saw it. A look of recognition went across his face and he looked at the box and said, "Pronglett?"

Harry missed the sad smile of satisfaction on Remus' face when he said that, because he was too interested in what the box was doing. The box morphed from a nice wooden box, to an exact replica of a shaggy dog, which was smiling up at Harry.

Almost immediately, as if he sensed what Harry was about to do, Remus quickly came over to Harry and gathered him into a hug as he started to cry. All the tears that had built up over the summer had just let go at the sight of the dog that looked exactly like Padfoot. Harry was thankful that Remus was there, but at the same time he wished that Remus wasn't here so he couldn't see him like this. But he was glad Remus was there because he was getting the support that he hadn't ever had from the Dursleys, and it felt good.

Collecting himself he pulled away from Remus and took the dog off the table and found the opening at the head and opened it up to find-

"Memories?" Harry asked Remus.

Remus smiled, "Yeah, all the memories that Sirius thought that you would like to see. There's some of your mum and dad, some of us doing some Marauding detail, and just most of it was us having a bit of fun. But no Snape fun in those memories, don't worry," he said, when Harry was about to object.

Harry smiled, "Thanks, Remus. I guess that's why Dumbledore gave me a pensive right?" he asked.

Remus smiled back, "Yes, I asked him if he would get one for you, not large so it could be easily hidden if need be," he told the young man.

"Good idea, because I don't want anyone but me to be in that pensive!" Harry said.

"Well," Remus said thoughtfully. "There's a spell that I can teach you, so that only you can enter the pensive and see what's inside if you like," he asked.

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" Harry said smiling at Remus.

"OK, so it's settled then, I'll teach it to you tomorrow, because you have a party to get back to," Remus said, giving Harry a small smile.

Harry frowned, "Yeah, I guess I did kind of run out on everyone didn't I?"

"Yes, but everyone understood. But I think you'd better get down there before they start to get worried," Remus suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, then he looked at Remus. "Do you think they'll be mad at me?" Harry asked.

Remus shook his head, "No I don't. They might be a little bit worried, but they won't be upset. They worry about you, that's all," he explained.

"Oh, ok," he said, "Well, I guess we'd better go," he said, putting the head on the dog and standing up. Suddenly the dog morphed back into the wooden box with the non-key hole lock back in place. Harry smiled, he knew he would be watching those memories as soon as he could. Then he and Remus got up and both walked down together back to the Great Hall.


	7. Talking and Another Surprise

**Chapter 7**

Harry and Remus walked back down to the great hall and opened the door. Everyone was talking and didn't look up when Harry and Remus walked in. Harry looked at Remus, who nodded, and Harry sat down and put the box on the table, smiling at his new gift.

Ginny was the first person to look over and smile at Harry, then she noticed the box and gave Harry a questioning glance. Harry shook his head. "Not now," he mouthed.

Ginny smiled, her eye's alight in anticipation, "Ok," she mouthed back.

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Ron asked, looking over at Harry questioningly.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I feel a bit lazy today. What about you guys?" he asked.

Everyone nodded. "Yeah, we should just go back to the common room," Ginny said, standing up.

Harry smiled. "Ok, just let me go put my gifts away, and I'll be back," he said, gathering his presents into his arms, being careful not to drop any of them.

Harry had a bit of trouble carrying all of them, so Ginny offered to help bring them. "That way you don't have to worry about dropping anything," she explained, taking some of the gifts out of his arms.

Harry nodded. "Alright, thanks," he said, nodding his thanks. "We'll meet you guys there," he told Ron and Hermione, who nodded then waved goodbye and walked out.

"Oh," Harry said, remembering something. He walked over to Mrs. Weasley and said, "Thanks for the party, Mrs. Weasley. I really enjoyed it, and the cake was delicious."

Mrs. Weasley blushed slightly. "Why, thank you dear, it was my pleasure. Do you need any help?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, but thanks anyways. Ginny's going to help me bring them back."

That reminded Harry that he needed the password to get through the portrait. He excused himself and Mrs. Weasley walked away with an, "Of course, dear," He looked around and saw Snape talking to Dumbledore. Harry bit his lip and felt his stomach contract, because he knew that if he went over there, Dumbledore would want to talk to him, but he couldn't get into his room without getting through the portrait first. He needed that password. But before Harry could figure out what he wanted to do, Dumbledore turned and look at him. Dumbledore looked deep into Harry's eyes with a sadness that made Harry's heart constrict. He knew now what they were talking about, and he couldn't bear to just stand there, so he quickly decided he would take his presents later.

Harry turned around and said to Ginny, "Let's just take these up to the common room, I'll take them down later," and he started walking toward the door.

A second later, he saw Ginny walking along side of him to the door. He opened the door and let her go through, bowing and saying, "After you my good lady."

Ginny laughed. "Why thank you, sir. You are such a gentlemen."

After walking outside, he had an idea, "Let's shrink these, that way we don't have to carry them all the way up there."

"Alright," she said, sitting them down.

Aiming his wand at his new gifts he said, "Reducio." Then he bent down and made sure to pick up all his gifts and carefully placed them in his pocket.

Then they walked up to the common room, laughing about how Ron and Hermione needed to get over themselves.

"Seriously, they both like each other so why don't they just go out?" Harry asked.

Ginny laughed, "It's not like that. Hermione doesn't think that Ron could ever like her as a girlfriend or potential wife. She," Ginny stopped. "You have to promise me that you won't tell a living soul what I'm about to tell you," she said, making sure he understood.

"Promise, I'll never tell a living soul as long as I live," He told her, then he smiled. "What about when I'm dead? Will I be able to spill my guts then?" he asked, cheekily.

Ginny slapped him playfully, "No! You can't ever tell a living, or dead, soul as long as you live, or are dead," she told him, eyes alight with laughter.

Harry sighed, "Alright, it may be a bit harder to keep but, alright I promise," he told her.

"Ok, then," she said, starting to walk again. "Hermione says that she really likes Ron, but that he only has platonic feelings for her, no more than that. And I keep telling her that it's impossible, not with the way he looks at her," she told Harry, giving him an exasperated look. "Besides," she said, mischief gleaming in her eyes, "She doesn't sleep below him every night of summer," she said, giving Harry a knowing look.

Harry laughed, "Oh my gosh, what does he say?" he asked.

Ginny smirked and held her head high, "I'm not telling," she told him.

Harry looked like he had been punctured. "Oh come on, that's not fair!" he exclaimed, poking her in the side.

Ginny squeeked, "Harry! That tickles," she said, slapping his hand as he tried again. Ginny saw an evil but excited look in his eyes that she hadn't seen since Sirius died, so she decided to milk it for all it was worth to allow him some happiness. "Harry, Harry don't you dare," she warned him, looking at his outstretched arms wearily. As he started to move forward, she screamed and ran toward the common room.

Ginny ran, laughing all the while. She ran as fast as she could to the Gryffindor Common Room. Soon the chase turned into a race and as they turned the corner, they were neck 'n neck, shouting the password, "Bibliophile!" as they ran. Ginny was the first to make it to the portrait, but when she tried to climb in, Harry came up behind her and started tickling her, and pulling her back out. Ginny caved, "I give! I give!"

Harry smiled, "And you thought you could beat me," he said, a bit arrogantly. Harry turned to go inside but he was suddenly attacked by Ginny's fingers. "Ah!" he screamed, laughing between words. "No, aha, Ginny come on, aha, come on that tickles!" But Ginny kept on persisting, until Harry yelled, "Alright! Uncle, uncle!" Then it was Ginny's turn to be smug.

"And you thought you could beet me, eh?" she asked, haughtily climbing into the common room.

Harry quickly climbed in behind her and he found that she had already made her way to the fire that Ron and Hermione were sitting at. Walking over, he saw Ginny looking at Hermione and Ron accusingly. Harry look at the pair, a bit confused, but when he took a better look, he found that their hair was all over the place and their clothes were all messed up. He gave them a smile and the same stare that Ginny was giving them, "Well, well, well, what's been going on here?" he asked.

Ron and Hermione shared a quick look, in which Hermione gave a nod. Ron opened his mouth as if to explain, but found his words die in his mouth. Hermione laughed quietly and decided to explain herself.

"Well, when we left and got back to the common room, I got a letter from Victor, and Ron didn't like that very much. We started arguing and I finally asked him, 'Why don't you want me talking to him?' Then he said, 'Because I don't want you to go out with him!' Then I asked, 'Well why not?' And then he said, 'Cause I want to go out with you, that's why not!' Then he realized what he said, and immediately turned beat red."

Everyone started laughing and Ron turned red again. "Then what happened?" Harry asked, looking at Ron.

Hermione laughed, "Well, he tried to stutter out something or another, and I finally saw what I hadn't wanted to see before: he did actually like me. So I decided to take the next step because he took the first one, even though it was accidental, he still did so I decided to make the next one," she told them, starting to blush. "It turned out to be a bit longer step than we expected, and then we heard you guys outside," she finished, blushing the same color as Ron.

Harry and Ginny tried to keep silent, and not laugh but eyes meeting, the laughter had built up so much that they couldn't hold it anymore. Hermione joined in the laughed, and Ron joined after watching them roll around on the floor for a few seconds.

After a few minutes, they all calmed down. Harry took out his gifts and enlarged them to their regular size and then they and were able to sit down in front of the fire. They just sat there for a little while, enjoying each other's company.

"So, what's going to happen?" Ron asked.

Harry looked up and saw Ron looking at him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"About Snape. What's going to happen to him?" he asked.

Harry sighed, "I'm not sure yet. He said that he probably won't be going back to spy. But he may have to for a while, if Dumbledore needs him to, but I hope not. But it would only be until school starts, cause then the cat will be out of the bag and everyone will know," he explained.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, I guess that sounds reasonable."

"But what happens if he has to go back for a while?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed again, "I'm not sure. I don't see how Voldemort will be able to find out, but if he does," he paused. "Then Snape's in big trouble."

Ginny sighed beside him. "Well, I guess we just have to hope that he won't have to go," she said reasonably. She smiled thoughtfully, "I wonder if he'll be any easier on Gryffindor now that you're his son, Harry," she said, smiling at him.

Harry smirked, "I doubt it. Just because I'm now his son doesn't mean that he'll be any easier on _you guys_. It just means I'm related to him, and that's it."

"Well, yes it does mean that, but it also means that he has to go easier on you because you're his son," Ron said.

Harry gave him a confused look, "But it doesn't have anything to do with you guys. You're not making any sense," he said laughing slightly.

Ron turned slightly red, "It made perfect sense to me!"

Ginny smiled, "Of course it did, Ron," she said, patting his shoulder.

"Anyways," Harry said, trying to stop the fight before it broke out. "Really, I don't know what's going to happen this year, though it'll probably be another year of getting in trouble," he said, smiling.

Ron smiled, "Yeah, it wouldn't be a year of Hogwarts without getting into some trouble,"

"Harry? Why didn't you put your gifts away?" Hermione asked, looking at them, confused.

Harry sighed and looked down, "Well, Snape was talking to Dumbledore, and I didn't want to interrupt," he told them, halfway telling the truth.

"Why couldn't you just go put them away?" she asked.

"I don't know the password to get into the portrait guarding our rooms," he explained.

"Oh, ok," she said.

Ginny looked at Harry and gave him a look that said, 'I don't believe one word that you just said'. "So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day? It's almost four in the afternoon, what can we do?" she asked their group.

"Homework," Hermione said, giving Harry and Ron a look.

"But-"

"No buts! We need to finish our work, we don't have much time left, so we need to get to work," Hermione said, sounding oddly like Mrs. Weasley.

Harry sighed, "Alright," When Ron groaned, he said, "Come on Ron, better earlier than later"

Ron grumbled, "Alright,"

Hermione went upstairs with Ginny, while Ron went upstairs and Harry got out his wand and said, "Accio backpack!" He waited for a few moments and saw his bag come flying towards him.

Ginny walked down and saw this and said, "Lazy bones,"

Harry looked up, he smiled, "I know," he said. "Besides, it would take too long to get down there," he said reasonably.

Ginny nodded, "Of course,"

"And I _can_ do magic now and not get in trouble," he told her, smiling.

When they saw Hermione and Ron coming down, they stopped talking and sighed, "Now to work," Hermione stated, putting her books down on the table.

Harry and Ginny walked over and sat down, "Now, who are you going to start on first? I just have to finish McGonagall's essay," Hermione said, setting her Transfiguration book in front of her.

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"Done!" Harry said, putting down his quill.

"Me too!" Ginny said, throwing her quill down.

"Almost," Ron said, finishing the last sentence, "Done!"

"It's about time," Hermione said, coming back in the room.

"When did you leave?" Ron asked.

"A little while ago," she told him, sitting back down. She looked at the clock, "It's 6:30 already, we should go down to dinner," she said.

"Yeah!" Ron said, getting up.

"Well, I'm going to go put these in my room, I'll meet you guys down there," Harry said, picking up some of his gifts. He stooped down to pick up another gift and found someone already picking it up.

He looked up and saw Ginny smiling at him and said, "Let's go,"

Harry smiled, "Alright, we'll see you guys at dinner," he said, finding Hermione and Ron cleaning up their table.

"Alright, see you later," Hermione told them, waving at them.

Harry and Ginny walked out of the common room and down toward the dungeons. "Doesn't it creep you out having to go down here all the time?" she asked.

Harry tiled his head in thought. "Well, I guess it does a little bit, but I'll probably get used to it," he said, making their way carefully down the stairs.

"I still can't get over the fact that he's your father," Ginny told him with a smile.

Harry nodded. "I know, me either. Especially with how he's treated me, and you all, in the past. But I think he's _trying_ to move past that, and so am I, and he's trying not to make fun of you guys too. So he's at least trying, how can I not?" he asked.

Ginny giggled. "And besides, I'm sure you're loving the knowledge that our Potion's Professor, now your dad, and your mum, to have you, had to..."

"Ginny! Don't remind me!" Harry said, trying to close his ears with his shoulders. "I already had that revelation when I woke up from that potion yesterday. Needless to say, I didn't take it well," he said, stifling a laugh, and walking through the Entrance Hall.

Ginny laughed quietly. "I'm sure that must have been an interesting development for you."

Harry sighed. "Again, don't remind me," he said, shaking his head of the thoughts. They turned the corner and saw a piece of parchment stuck to the portrait that protected the way into Snape's, now his as well, quarters. Harry took the piece of paper down, and read,

_Harry, I have to go to a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. And so you don't have to worry if I'm in or not to get in, the password is wolfsbane. I should be back sometime around 8 pm._

Harry noticed that he hadn't signed his name. He guessed that Snape didn't know what to put, so he just left it off. Harry noticed Ginny looking over his shoulder, confused. He looked back at her, wondering why she was so confused.

"I can't see anything," she explained.

Harry looked back at the parchment, he could see the words just fine. Then an idea hit him, "He's charmed it so no one can see it but me," he explained, a look of recognition on his face.

The same look appeared on Ginny's face, and she said, "Show-off," in a low grumble.

Harry laughed, said the password, and walked into the 'family room' as Snape said, even though Harry still thought it was secretly a ball room of sorts. He took a few steps inside, but realized that Ginny was not behind him. He turned around and saw Ginny looking hesitantly, still standing outside. Harry smiled and said, "Come on in, it's alright."

Ginny smiled, but still looked unsure. Harry chuckled, and went to his room to put down his stuff, but as he turned back for Ginny, he saw something that made him stop in the doorway.

"Harry?" he heard Ginny say, looking at him with worry.

"Come here," he told her, turning back to stare at something in his room.

Ginny sighed and looked up and down the corridor then finding no one there, she carefully stepped inside, feeling as if she was trespassing. She walked over to Harry and looked inside the room. There on the bed, was a small green box. Ginny looked at Harry, smiling, realizing who the gift must be from. Harry, it appeared, still hadn't figured it out, but was smiling at it. Ginny pushed him inside, and he walked over to his bed, put his other stuff down, being careful not to drop the wooden box with the memories, and picked up the small box.

Harry looked at her in confusion. "Why wasn't this with the others at lunch?" he asked.

Ginny smiled, knowing why, but was going to have Harry figure it out himself. "Don't know," she lied. "Why don't you open it and see who gave it to you?" she asked.

Harry looked at the box in his hands. It was about the size of a drink coaster, and was packaged tightly because when he shook it, nothing moved. Confused, Harry decided to just see what was inside. He carefully undid the wrapping, and opened the top of the box. Inside, he pulled out another box, this one a bit smaller than the previous box. Harry was confused to no end. _Why would I get a box?_ he thought to himself.

"You have to open that one, too."

Harry looked up to see Ginny kneeling in front of him, smiling at his confusion. Blushing, he said, "I knew that", obviously lying. He opened the top of this box to again, find a smaller one. He sighed in frustration. Whoever it was had an odd sense of humor. After opening that box, he stilled, expecting to find another box, but instead, he found something wrapped in tissue paper. Looking confusedly at Ginny, she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders and motioned for him to take the paper off. Harry smiled, looking back at the small wrapped up gift. He mentally took a deep breath, and carefully pulled the paper away from the gift.

Harry gasped, allowing the paper to drop to the floor. It was a necklace, but it was beautiful. Harry couldn't explain it, but he had a feeling that there was something more to the necklace than met the eye. He took in the carving as he rolled his thumb across it. The pendant was gold with a phoenix engraved into the middle of the front. The phoenix had it's wings spread and was looking up, as if to take off in flight.

Ginny gasped, Harry looked up to see her face filled with awe. Harry gave her the pendant so she could take a closer look. Ginny turned it over and stilled. Harry knew something was on the back by her action. Then Ginny smiled softly, and looking up, handed it back to him.

On the back was an inscription, 'What's past is past - the future is for you to decide' Harry looked up to her in confusion. Who would give his to him?

Then he heard someone clear their throat in the doorway, and Harry's head quickly moved to see who was there: Professor Snape stood in his doorway.

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Snape POV

Snape stepped out of the fireplace and into his living room. He walked over to the hall just in time to see Miss. Weasley step in. He heard Harry's voice and walked over to investigate. When he got to the door he heard Harry say, "Why wasn't this with the others at lunch?"

Snape sighed, he couldn't have given Harry his gift before bcause he didn't want to cause a scene, so he came back to his rooms after finishing his discussion with Dumbledore and placed it on his bed, knowing he would come back sooner or later. Then the Weasley girl said, "I don't know, why don't you open it and see who gave it to you?" Snape heard the knowingness in her voice. She already knew who gave it to him, and it appeared Harry hadn't figured it out.

He watched as Harry carefully pulled apart the paper, not before shaking it to see if he could figure out anything from it, then opened the box. Snape smirked, he thought Harry would appreciate what he did with it. Then he saw his son still at the box that he just took out of the other box. After Miss. Weasley telling him to open that one too and Harry embarrassedly say that he 'knew that', he watched as Harry pulled out the last box. Almost smiling at the look on his son's face, he watched as he opened the top and stilled as he brought out the pendant wrapped in tissue paper.

He watched as Harry and the Weasley girl have a silent conversation and then Harry carefully take the paper off. He watched as his son looked at the pendant in awe and then give it to the girl. He had hoped that Harry would see the inscription, but the Weasley girl found it instead.

The inscription had taken a lot of time to come up with, he hadn't had a clue of what to do, but when he found the idea, he ran with it and put it there. He was hoping to be able to build a relationship with Harry, even with all they had gone through, and he was hoping Harry allow him to try. When he saw Harry read it and look up to his friend, he knew his time had come to make his presence known. He moved into the room slightly and watched as Harry's head snapped to him, fear in his eyes, but when he saw who it was, the fear left and recognition dawned in his eyes.

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"Professor! You startled me."

Ginny stood up quickly from her kneeling position.

As if reading her thoughts, Snape said, "You are not in trouble, Miss Weasley, but I must ask you to please wait for Harry outside."

Ginny sighed almost silently, turned to Harry and smiled, then left the room with a nod towards the professor.

Harry turned his eyes to his professor and father as he walked in the room, who produced a chair with his wand, and sat down in front of Harry. "I believe you are wondering about the pendant?" he asked.

Harry looked down at his gift and said, "Yes, sir."

"Well, it does several things," Snape told him, and he saw recognition dawn in his son's eyes as he continued. "First of all, by saying, 'Hogwarts', it is a portkey to the Hospital Wing. If you are ever in trouble and need to get out, you can activate it and you will come right back here. It will also allow me to know if you ever are in danger, or if you go off of Hogwarts grounds," Severus told Harry with a smirk and a look.

Harry smiled sheepishly, and looked down at the pendant. He knew that now, he couldn't sneak out even if he wanted to.

"And," Snape continued, and Harry looked up, stunned; there was _more_ to this thing? "If you are ever in a situation that you need me, then all you have to do is say a secret word, one that you can chose, and we will be able to talk telepathically without the need of anyone listening in. Once you put it on, it also has a spell to cloak itself so that no one can see that it's there, unless you take it off."

Harry looked down at the pendant, finally understanding it was basically something that his father could use to keep track of him. Then a thought occurred to him. "What happens if I accidentally say the secret word in a conversation with someone?" he asked.

"Well, it should be a word that you aren't saying every day. But in the off chance that that occurs, I will quickly ask if everything is alright, then we can disconnect," Severus told his stunned student and son.

_It sounds like a mental telephone if you ask me,_ Harry thought, smiling. "How are we going to chose the word then?" he asked.

"Well, you can chose any word you want. Again, it must be something that you don't use often, or not at all," he explained.

Harry thought for a moment, pondering what would be a good word? Something that couldn't be used everyday. He thought of something in parseltongue, but knew that wouldn't work because Snape couldn't speak parseltongue. _Wait,_ he thought. _What _about_ Snape?_ "Professor, what about you?" he asked, concerned.

Snape smirked and he reached up and appeared to grab something invisible from around his neck and tried to pull it over his head. Harry's eyes grew wide as he saw an almost identical pendant to his, except his had –

"A snake," Harry said, laughing slightly. _How appropriate,_ he thought. "So, do the same charms apply to yours as well?" Harry asked.

Snape nodded his head and said, "Yes they do, and also the word has to be the same on both ends," Snape said, as if reading Harry's mind.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I was thinking of saying something in parseltongue, but you can't, so I guess that's out of the question."

Snape semi-glared at Harry. "How is it that you, a Gryffindor, are able to get the best Slytherin trait of all?" he asked.

Harry laughed. "Well, the way I got it wasn't very cool, but I like to be able to talk to snakes, it's fun," he told him.

Snape looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when Voldemort, sorry, when the Dark Lord tried to kill me, he transferred some of his powers to me, including the ability to speak parseltongue," Harry explained.

Snape looked a bit surprised at this, "Well, if my students knew that I guess they wouldn't be so jealous," Snape said with a smirk.

Harry laughed, "Well, if they knew a lot of the things that I went through they wouldn't be so jealous," Harry stated, with sadness tinged in his voice.

Snape caught the sadness that Harry had tried to hide, "What do you mean?" he asked, not knowing entirely what he meant. Snape knew that in there was the whole thing with his uncle, but what else could he be talking about?

Harry sighed, "Well, there's always the fact that I have a psychopath that has been trying to kill me since I was born. There's also the fact that no matter what I do, I always seem to be in some kind of dangerous situation, whether I ask for it or not. I've never really had a family, and the times that I've been with them, my uncle…well, anyways. I've been hated by people my entire life because I was the odd kid out. Whether it was in primary school, being avoided because everyone didn't want to stand up to my cousin and befriend me because they knew he didn't like me, or here where I'm this kid who everyone sees as a savior of sorts and puts me up on a pedestal that I didn't even ask for and hate. Then there's the fact that without my knowledge I lead people to their deaths. Please don't say that it's not my fault because just because you say it doesn't make it so. Cedric died because of me because I told him to take the cup with me, Sirius died because of me because I was too curious for my own good and didn't practice Occlumency like I was suppose to, and my parents died because of a prophecy that was made about me," he explained, trying to blow it off as nothing.

He realized that this was the first time that he had talked this much about how he felt in a very long time, and now that he had, he seemed to not be able to stop. But he was thankful to at least see Snape still listening to him.

"In first year, I was goggled at, or hated by, everyone because I was the 'famous Harry Potter'. I had to figure out how to defeat Voldemort and Quirrell on my own until Dumbledore came to my rescue. Second year I was hated by almost the entire population of students because they thought I was petrifying everyone and because I could talk to snakes. Third year I was kept like a dog on a chain to make sure I wasn't getting into trouble because everyone thought Sirius was after me. I had to go save him, only to kill him two years later, and get Buckbeak out safe with him too at the same time. Fourth year I was being hunted by Voldemort, put in the Triwizard tournament, watched Voldemort come back to life with my help after watching my friend get killed. Then last year I had to watch my godfather die and had to watch the entire wizarding world turn against me because they didn't want to believe that Voldemort was back. So I don't see why everyone is so jealous of me," Harry explained, tired from talking so much. He still hadn't registered all he had said, he just knew that he just spilled most of his deep secrets to his most hated professor. But then he realized that he was probably doing a great thing for the trust issue between them. He was trusting Snape without even thinking about it.

Snape didn't know what to say. He was actually quite surprised that Harry had said that much. He hadn't expected for him to basically spill his guts, but he had, and now Snape had no idea what to do.

He heard a small sniffle, and looked up to see the Weasley girl standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes. She locked eyes with him and he saw overwhelming sadness that she felt for the boy sitting in front of him who hadn't noticed that she was there. She gave him a questioning look, and Snape shook his head slightly, conspicuously held up a finger to tell her to give him a minute.

"Harry?" he asked, knowing what he was going to say. When the green eyed boy looked up, Snape saw such sadness and pain in his eyes that he felt his heart ache for the boy. He hadn't known that it was that bad, and he was sure that no one else, besides the Weasley girl and himself knew. "What about your friends?" he asked.

Harry smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I could see how people could be jealous of my friends. They're really great, even though you don't like them much, but they're the best friends I could ask for," he said with smile. But then he said sadly, "They're really the only friends I've ever had, I wouldn't trade them for the world," he said, smiling to himself.

Snape nodded to Ginny, who quickly came in, as if not able to hold herself back any longer. "Harry?" she said, tears almost gone.

Harry's head shot up, and his face was flushed, "Ginny! How long were you standing out there?" he asked, mortified.

"Oh, Harry!" she said, pulling him into a hug.

Harry was in shock. _How much did she hear?_ he wondered. He didn't think that he wanted to know the answer. She at least heard the last part of what he had been saying. And that scared him slightly, what would she do?

Ginny pulled away, a slight smile on her face which made Harry a bit less nervous, but there was a sad look in her eyes that told him she heard almost everything. "Harry, could we talk for a little while?" she asked.

Harry sighed, he didn't _want_ to talk, but something told him that he _needed_ to talk. Looking into Ginny's eyes, he saw concern, love, and a stubbornness that would not go away until he talked to her. She wouldn't force him, but she would definitely not leave him alone to deal with all of this on his own. "Alright," he said, a little hesitantly. Harry saw that Snape was gone, he would have to talk to him later.

Ginny took his hand, but before they could get to the door, Harry had an idea, "Hang on a sec," he told her and went back to his bed. He took the wooden box that he had gotten from Sirius and decided to take it. If he was correct, he would also be talking about Sirius, and he might as well take this to show her, seeing as how she was the only one who really noticed it. Walking back to Ginny, he saw her smile, and take his hand as she led him out of his room.

He noticed his father sitting in a recliner in the family room, and then remembered something. "Ginny, would you mind waiting for me outside for a minute?" he asked her.

Ginny nodded. "Sure," she said, walking out with Harry but when Harry stopped she continued walking.

When Ginny had left Harry turned to his professor. "Um, professor, I have an idea for the password for our necklaces. Um, how about a muggle word? I mean, hardly anyone here will use it, and hopefully, no Death Eater or Voldemort will know of it either."

Severus thought for a moment and then asked, "Alright. What word did you have in mind?"

"Well," he thought quickly. "What about a candy? Like 'snickers' or something?" he asked. But at the look on his father's face he smiled, "Ok, guess not. What about," he thought for a moment, then an idea came to him. "What about 'soda pop'?" at the confused look he was given, Harry decided to elaborate. " It's a muggle fizzy drink, and since we don't even drink them here anyway, and I've never even heard anyone talk about them here, there's not way for me to really say it in a conversation. What do you think?" Harry asked, hoping he chose a word that his professor would approve of.

"Yes, Harry. I think that will do. Even though it is an odd word, no one would really think anything of it. So, 'soda pop' it is," he said, taking out his wand and saying an incantation that ended with the words 'soda pop'. "Make sure to wear your necklace at all times, even while bathing. Never take it off. And if you ever need to talk privately with me, now we can," he reminded Harry.

"Yes sir, and thanks. I won't take it off. Um, may Ginny and I go out for a bit to talk? I won't be late coming back, I promise." Harry waited expectantly, hoping that he would be able to go back out. He was rewarded with a nod from his father, and a reminder to be back by 11 pm.

"Thanks Professor. I'll see you later. And, um, thanks for the pendent. I really love it. No one has ever given me anything just to keep me safe before, so I really do appreciate it."

Severus watched as his son walked out of his chambers and left with the Weasley girl, and once the portrait was closed, he allowed himself a genuine smile of satisfaction. He realized that even though they still had a long way to go, at least for now, things were looking up for the professor and his son.


	8. Memories and Revelation

Chapter 8

When Harry came out after his quick talk with Snape, Ginny came over and smiled, took his hand and walked down the corridor. When they got into the Entrance Hall to their surprise they saw members of the order filing into the Great Hall. Harry saw many that he recognized, and he walked up to one of them.

"Hey, Remus," Harry said, greeting his old professor.

"Harry," he answered, looking shocked to see him there. Then he looked down to the entwined hands of the two teens and looked up to Harry smiling. "What's going on?"

Harry and Ginny shared a look, and they quickly let go. "Nothing, Remus. What's going on?" he asked, looking to the Great Hall as the last member walked through.

Remus knew what he was talking about, "Not, sure. Dumbledore only said to meet here, that it was urgent. So I'm as clueless as you are," he told the teen.

Harry looked curiously at the door, "Oh, well. If it's important we'll know about it sooner or later. Shame we can't listen in though," he said, smiling.

Remus smiled back, "Well, if I can I'll let you know," he said, walking to the door. "But if I don't go now, I'll be late. I'll talk to you later, Harry, Ginny," he said, nodding to the teens and walking inside.

"Hm, I wonder what they're talking about," Harry asked Ginny, looking at the door.

Ginny shook her head, "Don't know, but we're not going to be able to find out till later," she said, walking again. Harry quickly followed behind her and Ginny grabbed his hand as he walked next to her.

It took Harry a moment to realize where they were going and he had to force himself to continue on beside Ginny, though if he had stopped Ginny would have kept him going. Harry sighed, _What am I doing?_

Ginny let go of Harry's hand and he watched as she walked back and forth between the two tapestries and the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Ginny held open the door and allowed Harry to walk inside. When Harry walked in he found the room to be an exact replica of the Weasley's backyard.

Harry smiled, "This is what you wanted?" he asked.

Ginny smiled back, "Yeah, it's my favorite spot at home," she told him.

Harry laughed, "Alright," and he said, as they sat down next to a small pond. Harry and Ginny took off their shoes and put their feet in the cool water. They sat there for a while just enjoying each other's company.

"What's in the box?"

Harry turned to see Ginny looking at the box in his hands. He smiled, "I'll show you," he said as he held up the box. "Pronglett," he said, and he watched Ginny's expression turn from confusion to awe and surprise. When he looked back the wooden dog was staring back at him. He felt his eyes well up with tears, but he pushed them back.

"You miss him," Ginny said, looking at Harry.

Harry looked back and sighed, "Yeah. But you haven't seen what's inside yet," he said, changing the topic.

Ginny noticed his change in topic, but she didn't push it, and she watched him open the head of the dog and pulled out… "Memories!" she said, eyes alight with excitement. "Have you seen any of them yet?" she asked.

Harry smiled, "No, not yet, but I will be soon," he said, looking longingly at the memories inside.

Ginny smiled, "You want do see some?" she asked. For a moment Harry looked disappointed but the look went away. "Unless you say differently, I'm not going in." She saw relief in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Yeah, why not," he said, giving her a smile. "Accio, Pensive!"

Ginny opened the door and after a minute, the pensive flew through the door and to Harry.

Harry sat down and took a vial of memory and looked at it before he poured it into the pensive. He looked at Ginny, nervous for the first time since he realized that they were memories. He wondered what he was going to see when he went in, but his curiosity won out and he said goodbye to Ginny and dove in.

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Harry found himself on the grounds of Hogwarts, looking at the Lake. Harry looked around, knowing Sirius should be around here somewhere. A bush rustled behind him and sure enough he found Sirius looking intently at the lake with a smile on his face. Then the face of Remus came out of the bush, as if searching for something. He apparently found it when he smiled and looked happily toward the lake as well.

"It's that cute?" Remus asked Sirius.

Sirius barked, "Yeah, as sweet as a flower," he answered sarcastically.

"Do I sense sarcasm in that statement?" Remus asked, smiling at his friend.

"No," Sirius said, laughing slightly. "I was being totally and brutally honest. I meant every word!"

Remus gave Sirius a look, "Yeah, you're full of sarcasm today aren't you?"

Sirius tried again, "No, it's not sarcasm, I'm being-"

"Brutally honest, I know," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Shh, let's see if we can hear what they're saying."

Harry turned back to the lake and smiled: his parents – his mom, he corrected himself, was walking around the lake, James kissing his mom's hand every few steps. She would giggle and give him a kiss before continuing their walk.

Then, James stopped walking, and Harry decided to get a better look. He walked over to the couple and sat down by a tree and listened in.

"What's wrong, James?" Lily asked.

James smiled, "Nothing, Lily, just thinking," he said.

"About what, may I ask?"

"Well, it's the almost the end of the year now, and Hogwarts has been our home for the past seven years. It's going to be sad leaving it," he said.

Harry understood what James was talking about. It was only going to be two more years and then he would be out on his own, living his own life. Lily agreed, and nodded.

"I know, James. But it won't be that bad, it'll be fun to get out and do stuff on our own for a change, don't you think?" she asked.

James nodded, as if lost in thought. Looking at Lily he said, "Lily, can I ask you a question?"

Lily nodded, "Of course, James, what is it?"

James took a deep breath, "I know it may be sudden but," he looked at Lily and pulled something out of his robe pocket and got down on one knee. Harry's jaw went slack and he smiled. So _this_ is why Sirius wanted him to see the memory! After picking his mouth up off the floor, he smiled at his mother, who's mouth had dropped to the floor herself. Tears were in her eyes and she smiled as James said, "Lillian Evans, I love you with all my heart, and have since I first met you. Would you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

Harry heard something behind him and saw two women had joined the two men. The women were smiling with tears streaming down their faces as they looked at the couple by the lake. He distinctly heard, "Pay up, Padfoot. I won our little bet!"

"No you didn't, Elizabeth!" he argued.

"I think she did, Sirius. Seeing as how she said that they would get married before the end of the year and you said that they would get married before this coming Halloween," the other woman answered.

Sirius growled, "No fair, Remus, get _your _fiancé under control!"

Harry smiled at the banter between the two men and women. But he turned back to his couple and heard Lily scream "Yes!" James smiled brightly and put the ring on her finger and he stood, Lily jumping into his arms.

Harry smiled longingly at the two embracing people in front of him. How he wished they were still here. Harry shook his head, he had to keep reminding himself that James was not his father. Harry turned around and looked at Sirius who had stood, rummaging through his pockets for something. Harry looked at Sirius and felt his heart ache. He wished Sirius was still here too, but his stupid mistake had made that impossible. He watched the interaction between Sirius and Elizabeth with a sad smile. He wondered what happened to Elizabeth. Looking over at Remus and his fiancé he wondered the same thing. He'd have to ask Remus when he got back.

Watching Lily and James walk back to the castle, he sighed. He was glad that he was able to see these memories of Sirius and his mother. He was able to see the other side of James that he hadn't seen when he went into Snape's pensive last year. He smiled at the thought that his mother was happy with James. And looking at Sirius, the thought that he could have been with him made him feel stupid for going to the Ministry a few months ago. He felt a sadness that he hadn't felt since he realized that Sirius was gone.

Then he was suddenly brought out of the pensive to see Ginny sitting near the tree waiting for Harry to return.

When Ginny locked eyes with Harry, she saw the sadness in his eyes and moved over to him as Harry broke down.

Ginny held Harry as the memories came back from the night that Sirius died. All she could do was hold him and whisper encouraging words to him.

Harry burned out after a few minutes. Ginny speculated that he hadn't really cried for Sirius for a long time. It was a good thing that he was able to get it out of his system, it wasn't good for him to have his emotions pent up like he had been.

Harry finally pulled himself together and pulled away from Ginny. Ginny smiled, "Felling better?"

Harry smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, thanks," he told her, looking at the ground.

Ginny chuckled, "No problem, anytime," she told him. "So what was the memory, may I ask?"

Harry looked up and smiled, "Well, it was about my mum and my – James - and James was proposing to her. It was on the lake and Sirius, Remus, and their two girlfriends, thought Remus' had a fiancé, were watching from the bushes," Harry laughed at the memory. "Sirius apparently had bet that James would ask my mom to marry him after school had ended but before Halloween. So Elizabeth, that was his girlfriend, at least I think she was his girlfriend, bet that they would be affianced before the school year's end."

Ginny joined Harry in laughing and it took them a little bit to calm down again but once they did Harry looked at the pensive and wondered how he was going to put the memory back inside the vial.

Ginny gave him a questioning look and he explained his predicament. "Well," she said, after listening to his problem. "You could just leave it in until you can ask Remus how to take it out," she said, after a moment of thinking.

Harry nodded his head, "Alright, that could work, and I can figure it out later," he said, putting the empty vial back into the head of the dog and closing it. He watched as the dog turned back into the wooden box.

Ginny smiled and thought, _He looks so cute._ She shook her head. She didn't need to be thinking like that, he didn't think of her that way. _But maybe one day_, she thought with a smile.

"Is there anything that you want to do when you get out of school?" Harry asked, looking at the water.

Ginny looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Is there something that you want to do, when you get out of school, something you want to see or do?" he explained.

"Oh," she said, realizing what he said. "Well, I'd like to go around Europe, see the sites and all."

Harry smiled, "Yeah, me too. I haven't been out of London really, and I can't wait to go see some of the historical sites in Germany, or Italy, or even France. And besides we're so close how can we not?"

Ginny smiled back, "Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we all can go together," she suggested.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. We'll have to ask Ron and Hermione if they'd like to go too."

Nodding her head, Ginny looked out at the garden that was beside the pond.

Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was getting late. "Ginny, I think we should get back. Snape's going to be wondering where I am," he said, standing up and grabbing his shoes. He offered Ginny his hand and she took his with a "Thanks," and he helped her up to her feet. Putting their shoes back on, they headed back to the common room. Harry feeling happier than he had in a while.

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Severus walked out of the meeting, stunned. He flooed back to his quarters in a daze. But he quickly sobered when he realized that someone had come in behind him. Turning around he saw Albus walking toward him with a frown.

"Albus?" he asked, puzzled.

Dumbledore sighed as he reached into his robes and brought out an envelope and handed it to the Potions master.

Giving him a confused look he was silently told to read it. Severus took out the letter out of the opened envelope and started to read.

_Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_We have just received notice that Harry Potter is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is not at his relative's house as he should be. If he is not back in that house in two days time, we will be forced to come and take him back ourselves._

_Sincerely,_

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic_

As he continued down the letter his face grew pale and his stomach turned into knots. Looking up he saw Albus looking at him, gauging his reaction, "We can't have him go back there, Albus, we can't," he told the Headmaster.

"Yes, I know, my boy. And there is a way for that not to happen," he said, a sparkle coming to his eyes.

"What is that?" he asked.

"You must prove that Harry is your son."

Severus blinked. "That's it? Ok then, I'll start a potion right now," he told the Headmaster.

Albus nodded his head and said, "I will go fetch Harry," turning to leave.

"Albus, don't interrupt him, I'll tell him when he gets back," Severus told the old man.

Albus turned to his old pupil and nodded, "Very well, I shall talk to you later, Severus," he told him and flooed away.

Once Dumbledore was gone, he quickly went to his potion lab and started to make the potion. He would start it and when Harry came in he would explain what happened and then put the final ingredient in, a strand of Harry's hair, and let the potion simmer overnight until he would be able to go to the Ministry and show them the results. Putting everything out of his mind except to brew the potion, he began to work.

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After saying goodbye to Ginny at the common room, Ginny gave him a kiss on the cheek and went inside. Harry stood there for a moment and put his hand to where she had kissed him, then he made his way down to the dungeons, smiling the whole way.

Walking into the living room, Harry looked around and saw that Snape wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Professor?" he tried, wanting him to know that he was there.

"In here, Harry. Please come back," he heard Snape say from somewhere in the back.

"Where's here?" he asked, confused, walking to where he heard his father's voice.

"In my lab, it's right through my room to the right. I'd come out and show you but I can't leave this potion," Harry heard him say.

He looked at the door that led to his professor's room. He had never been allowed into his aunt and uncle's room before and wasn't sure what to expect. But Snape had told him to come in and he knew the man was waiting for him so he opened the door and walked inside.

Closing the door behind him he took a moment to look at the room he was in. The walls were a dark shade of green and there was a king-size bed up against the wall to his right. The comforter was light blue and looked fluffy from what he could see. There was an armoire across from the bed which was to Harry's left and it had a mirror on top of it.

"Harry?" came Snape's voice from his right.

He looked and saw a door and quickly went over to it and opened it. Sure enough, he saw the man over a cauldron, stirring it carefully. "Right here, sir," he said, making sure the man didn't jump.

Snape motioned Harry to come over, "In a minute I'll be able to stop to let this simmer before I add the last ingredient," he told him as he walked up.

Harry waited and watched as Snape stirred then made a movement with his wand. Harry was shocked to see a timer that was counting down 5 minutes in the air. Snape sighed and wiped his brow, "Harry sit down, I need to speak with you," he told the teen, who began to get nervous.

Snape smirked, "You did nothing wrong, I just have to talk to you," he told him.

Harry smiled sheepishly and followed the man to a couch on the far left side of the room, still in view of the timer. Harry watched as the man sighed and turned to face him on the couch. "Harry, Albus approached me and gave me a letter that he received. I read it and it was from Fudge who said that you needed to return to Privet Drive, which you will not be doing," he said quickly, watching the boy's eyes grow wide in panic. It took a little while, but when Snape saw the boy relax he continued, "But I must first prove to them that you are my son and you don't need to go back. They were angry that you weren't at your relative's house, for whatever reason, and they want you to go back. So that is what this potion is for," he said, motioning to the cauldron that he was previously standing over.

"Ok, so what's going to happen after that?" Harry asked.

Snape looked confused, "What do you mean 'what's going to happen'?"

"When you go to the Ministry and prove that I am your son, won't someone find out? Someone who shouldn't find out?" he asked with a pointed look at his professor. And Harry watched as a look of recognition dawned in his eyes.

"I won't lie to you, Harry, he will find out when I go. He has people everywhere in the Ministry and by the time I leave he will be notified that I was there and why," he told Harry.

Harry bit his lip, "So you won't be going back?" he told him, more of a statement than a question.

Snape shook his head, "No," but upon seeing the guilty look on his son's face he added, "But don't worry, I'm thankful that I don't have to go back,"

Harry shook his head, "But when something happens that you could have known about, it would be my fault because you had to out yourself as a spy and couldn't go back," he said, slightly emotional.

Snape quickly said, "Harry, listen to me." When Harry looked up, he continued. "Would you rather me go back and the Dark Lord find out that I'm spying against him, which wouldn't be a very pleasant experience, or get out while I can no matter what will happen afterwards?" he asked. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and he decided to continue. "The Dark Lord could have found out anyways, and I would have been killed on the spot. This way, he knows where I stand and now I don't have to fear him finding out when I go to meetings." Harry still didn't look convinced, so Snape knew he had to say more, "Harry, life as a spy is a very complicated one. You have to keep the side that you're spying against totally oblivious while you're helping the other side. To keep something like that from the Dark Lord is very hard, and I am not upset that I can't go back. And even if something happens, you'll get him in the end," he told Harry with a slight smile.

Harry smiled slightly and sighed, "But if something bad happens I'd never be able to forgive myself; look at what happened to Sirius," he said, looking at the floor.

Snape sighed and put his thumb under Harry's chin and made him look up. The sadness and guilt was poring from the boy as he looked at his father.

Harry saw something in the Potions master's eyes that he couldn't define. He wasn't sure if it was pity or something different.

Snape looked at Harry and tried to make sure that he understood that if anything happened it wouldn't be his fault. He was right, _look at Sirius_, the situation with Black made Harry feel that he was responsible for everything that happened at the Ministry. If something like that happened again, and someone was hurt, he wasn't sure how Harry would take it.

Harry sighed, "I get what you're saying, professor. I wouldn't want you going back, but how are we going to know what he's up to?" he asked.

Snape looked thoughtful for a moment, "We wouldn't," he told him truthfully. "We wouldn't know _exactly _what he's up to, but we have something that the Dark Lord doesn't have," he told Harry. When Harry looked at him questioningly he continued, "We have Albus Dumbledore."

Harry laughed, "Yeah, that's true," he agreed.

"He has an idea of what the Dark Lord will do, and all that without having someone in there to see everything. There have been several times when I would come in after a meeting and he would say, 'Yes, I expected that'. It got a bit annoying after a while because I'm out there risking my neck and he's saying he knew that he would do that," he said, shaking his head slightly while Harry laughed.

"Ok, well I guess it wouldn't be so bad then," he conceded.

Snape nodded, glad that Harry saw it that way, then looked at the timer, which had beeped, signaling one minute left on the timer. "Well, I'm going to have to have one of your hairs, Harry, for the potion." Harry nodded and was about to pull one out when Snape stopped him, "Harry, that's what magic is for," he said, waving his wand and pulling out a hair.

Harry looked to see a hair move in front of his face, "That didn't even hurt," he said to Snape, who smirked.

"It wasn't suppose to," he said as if he was talking to a small child, and moved to the cauldron.

Harry watched as Snape waited until the clock turned to 0:00 then let the hair fall in. The potion didn't change colors, bubble, or do anything, even after Snape stirred the potion. Snape turned to Harry and said, "Well, this has to simmer for a few hours until I can bottle it. So we might as well go to bed," he said, cleaning up the area.

Harry nodded, "Alright," he said, standing from the couch and moving toward the door.

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, professor," Harry said, and went to his room.

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Severus awoke to a quiet beeping noise coming from his lab. He quickly got up and moved silently into the room. He grabbed a bottle from the shelf and moved to the potion. When he looked at the potion he stopped in the middle of the room.

It was black.

_That's not right_, he thought. _It should be green._ Severus just stared at the potion and his stomach sunk as he realized the truth.

_He's not my son._

He went from stunned to angry. Angry at Lily for lying to him and angry at that _Potter_. _Lily told me he was infertile! How can this be?_ He asked himself.

Then a thought came to him and he saw himself in class berating Harry in front of everyone, he saw how cruel he was to Harry just because he had a resemblance to James Potter. And for the first time, he felt his stomach churn in shame at his actions. Then he remembered, as if from an old radio show he heard years before, Lily saying in a conversation with him, '_I'm a latent seer, Severus_,' Then everything fell into place for him, the missive, the change in Harry's looks, everything. _Lily knew how I would act toward Harry._

And if he knew Lily like he did, then he would be receiving a letter from her soon. But only one thing could come to mind at the moment: How to forge the potion. He knew that Harry couldn't go back to the Dursleys', and the only way that he wouldn't be able to go back is if Snape was his father, then he would be able to stay because he was there. But now…

The only answer would be to take a strand of Harry's hair and cancel out Potter's DNA and put his in so that it would look like Harry was his son, and thankfully he knew someone who could do that.

Walking over to his stores, he quickly started to make the potion again. Finally it was complete, except for the strand of hair.

He quickly made his way to Harry's room and quietly opened the door. He looked in and saw Harry sleeping peacefully in his bed with the covers strewn everywhere except on the boy. Snape smiled a half smile. He had always wanted a son of his own. But he never could find someone to have a child with. Now he had one, even though he had hated him for the first 15 years of his life. But now, he wasn't even his son. He was _Potter's_ son. His heart ached as he looked at the sleeping boy, knowing now that he wasn't his son, but he couldn't bring himself to start hating the boy again. For all the reasons that he hated the boy previously – his looks of James Potter, his supposed arrogance, the fact that he was in Gryffindor, his looks of James Potter (smirk)– everything was different now.

He just wasn't sure how to tell him.

Severus walked in the room and almost instinctively, he detangled the covers and pulled them over the sleeping boy. When he tucked the covers around Harry, Harry smiled in his sleep and murmured, "Thanks, dad."

Severus stilled and his heart filled with happiness, something that didn't happen very often. Harry just called him 'dad'. Shaking his head he said to himself that Harry was sleeping and wouldn't know what he had said. But with the mention of 'dad' Severus realized that Harry needed a father, and a mother but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Shaking his head again, he quickly took out his wand and took a strand of hair from Harry and walked out of the room. When he looked back at the sleeping boy he saw that Harry had thrown the covers back all over the place. Smiling to himself he went back into his room and quickly pulled two vial for the hair strands to go in.

After placing his hair in another vial as well, Severus walked over to the fire and threw some floo powder into the fire and walked through to the Headmaster's office. When he got there he saw that the old man was not there. He wondered when the man slept. He probably was doing so now, and he hated to wake him up, but he needed this done.

"Albus!" he called.

It only took a minute for the confused and curious older man to step out of his quarters and outside. "Yes, Severus?" he said, coming down the stairs and sitting down.

He motioned Severus to his seat and started to reach for some lemon drops when Snape said, "Harry's not my son."

When Snape said that, Dumbledore dropped the lemon drops in his hand and back into the bowl. Dumbledore looked up at Snape with a surprised expression.

Snape smirked with pride. It was the first time that he had been able to catch the old man so off guard. Not even with the news that the Dark Lord was coming back could shake the man so. Snape took a moment to relish in the fact that he surprised Albus Dumbledore. Then he explained.

"I made the potion last night and allowed it to simmer while I slept. When the time came I went in and was going to bottle the potion when I saw that the potion was black," he explained, watching the man's face. Albus' shock went to sadness when he heard what Severus had to say.

"Well," Albus said. "We do have a dilemma."

Severus nodded, "Yes, and I have a solution," he waited until Albus gave him a questioning glance and he continued. "I need you to take Harry's hair," he laid the vial with Harry's hair on the table. "And mine," he laid the vial with his hair in front of the man. "And put them together."

Albus looked at the vials then back at Severus, who just sat there waiting for an answer from the older man. Then Albus smiled. "Very well, I can do that," he told the younger man.

Severus nodded and Albus stood, wand drawn. Albus started to chant the spell and there was a bright light that emanated from his wand tip and filled the entire room. That was the only part of the spell that Severus hated, he couldn't see how it was done. He knew what the end result was, but never could see _how_ it happened.

Then as suddenly as the light appeared, it was gone. It took Severus a moment for his eyes to adapt to the light again, but when it did he saw Albus holding up a vial and putting the hair strand inside. Severus sighed, this was it. He was going to forge a potion for the Ministry of Magic. But before he could do anything else, he felt his forearm burn.

Severus looked up at Albus and started to say something, but stopped. Albus looked at him, confused, but when he saw Severus' face, he knew what happened.

"What do you want to do, Severus?" he asked.

Severus sighed, "What should I do, Albus? If I go, there's a possibility that he knows. Then again," he said, looking thoughtful. "If I go, I can find out if anything is going to happen in the near future," he said, looking to Albus for a 'yes' or 'no' to this option.

Albus thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, but I want you to be back by six. I will need to speak with you then," he told the former Death Eater.

Severus nodded, looked at his watch which said three am which gave him three hours, and took the vial with Harry's new hair and said, "I will be back," walking out the door and back down to his lab to add the hair then quickly leave for his last meeting.

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Harry awoke sweating and breathing heavily. He just had a horrible nightmare. Snape had gone to a death eater meeting and Voldemort found out that he was Harry's father and that he was a spy, and because of that he killed him. Harry shook his head. There was no way that could happen. Snape wasn't ever going back to a meeting, he was going to stay at Hogwarts, where it was safe.

Harry took deep breaths as he tried to shake the horrible feelings that the dream emanated. But as he took a moment to relax, the feeling that Snape wasn't there wouldn't go away. Then something clicked: his locket. Snape said that it would tell him when Harry was off grounds and the same for Snape. Harry's eyes went wide when he realized, _He's not here._

Harry jumped out of bed and ran to Snape room, he quickly knocked and yelled, "Professor?" When no one answered after a moment he opened the door and walked in, again saying "Professor?" No one was there so he looked in the lab, "Sir?" he quickly looked around and saw no one there, so he quickly closed the door.

Harry ran through their quarters yelling, "Professor, Professor!" Panicking as his dream started seeping into his consciousness. He started to hyperventilate and only after he realized that no one else knew that Snape wasn't there, he ran out and up to Dumbledore's office to alert the Headmaster.

When he got there, he started naming sweets and it took him a while, but when he ran out of wizarding sweets he started naming off muggle ones and finally got it right when he said "Mounds?". He ran up the stairs as the gargoyle appeared and led him up to the door that led to the Headmaster. _That man and his affinity for muggle sweets,_ he thought to himself.

"Professor?" he asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Harry quickly walked in and saw the Headmaster sitting at his desk. "Do you ever sleep?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled, "Yes, I do, I just got up a moment ago. What can I do for you, Harry?"

Harry quickly said, "Snape's missing."

Harry watched as the man looked at him with a bemused expression. "No, he's not."

"Where is he then?" he asked, slightly confused. The old man wasn't worried, so that meant that he left on his own accord. Unless…

"He was called."

Harry's eyes went wide. "What? Why? I thought he wasn't going to go back ever again? What happened?" he questioned the Headmaster.

Dumbledore motioned Harry to sit but he shook his head, "I'm quite comfortable standing, thanks. Why did he go?" he asked him again.

Dumbledore sighed, "He wanted to see if he could learn anything about what Voldemort is doing before he left," he explained to the young Gryffindor.

Harry was stunned, he said he wouldn't go back. Voldemort might have found out already. He could be killed. Harry felt his face pale.

"He's going to be alright, Harry," he said.

Harry looked up at the older man and gave him a skeptical look before saying, "Yeah, right." Then he walked out of the room.

All Harry could think about is how Voldemort was probably torturing Snape at that very moment. He said the password to get passed the portrait and went to his room.

Sleep was the last thing on Harry's mind as he thought of all the horrible things that Voldemort was probably doing to his father. How could Snape have gone? He knew how dangerous it was. Though, he had been doing this for years, even before Harry was born, but still. It made Harry sick thinking about what might be happening at that meeting.

Heck, for all he knew Voldemort had no idea of what had happened between his former Death Eater and arch enemy. Then, Harry had a strange feeling and he realized that Snape was back. Relief pored from Harry as he fell back against the bed, exhausted. It seemed no time at all that he heard Snape saying, "Harry?" from the living room.

Then, Harry's relief turned to anger. How could Snape go back? And how could he leave Harry here worrying to death? The rational part of his brain said he couldn't have known, that he was gone and he had no idea that Harry was even up. But Harry was too angry to listen to his rational side. Snape had made him worry, and he didn't like worrying.

Snape knocked on the door, and Harry quickly decided what to do. He quickly got under the covers and turned his body away from the door, so that Snape couldn't see that he was awake.

Harry heard the door open and the man step inside. "Harry?" he asked.

Harry could tell from the tone in his man's voice that he didn't believe for a minute that he was sleeping. But he had the right to be stubborn and he was going to use that right.

"Harry, I know you're not sleeping. Albus told me what happened."

Snape paused. Harry knew he was wanting him to turn over, but he was so mad at the man that he didn't want to. He heard the man sigh and take a deep breath. Then he heard his footsteps coming near the bed. Harry quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard Snape stop in front of him. He wasn't saying anything and Harry was getting nervous, what would he do? Would he be mad that he was acting this way? Would he be like Vernon?

When that thought came to his mind, he felt a hand on his arm and he jumped. Opening his eyes, he saw Snape kneeling in front of him with a shocked look on his face. "I'm sorry, professor. I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Harry, it's alright," he said, calming the boy down. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, turning over and pulling the covers over his face.

He heard Snape sigh, "Harry, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"Well, if you were here and not running around going to Death Eater meetings then we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Harry yelled through his comforter.

Snape's eyes went wide. So _that_ was what this was about. Then something clicked as he wondered how he knew that he was gone: The locket. He had woken up when Snape had left the grounds; no wonder his was so angry with him, he was probably up all that time wondering what was happening.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I had the idea that I could go back once more to make sure that nothing was going to happen before I left. Thankfully there was nothing, so there's nothing to worry about, but I wanted to do what I could while he still thought me to be on his side. You do understand, don't you, Harry?" he asked.

Harry sighed, he was really angry anymore, but he was still trying to get over the worry and get the adrenalin out of his system. He really couldn't blame Snape for going back. If he hadn't woken up, he wouldn't have found out and he would have just came back and gone back to bed. _I'm keeping him from going back to bed!_ he thought. Deciding to end his little pity party, he turned back towards his professor and father and said, "I understand,"

He thought he saw Snape crack a smile, but when he blinked it was gone. Giving him a small smile, he yawned.

"Why don't you go to bed and we'll talk in a few hours," Snape said, standing up.

Harry nodded, exhausted from all the events of the early morning. He tried to undo his comforter and sheets from the mess that he had made. He heard Snape chuckle and help him untangle them. After they were untangled, Snape did the same thing that he did earlier that morning, he pulled the sheet and comforter over the young man. Harry smiled in thanks to the older man, and to his surprise the man returned the smile. And started walking towards the door.

"Good night, dad," he called after him.

Snape stopped before the door and turned around, his heart fluttered as he said, "Good night, son."

They shared another smile then Snape left to go to his room and Harry got comfortable and went back to sleep with a smile on his face.


	9. One Lost, Another Found

Chapter 9

Harry slowly awoke from his slumber. He didn't open his eyes yet, wondering if he still had time to go back to sleep before breakfast. By the smell that suddenly wafted into his room, he knew it was time to get up. Before opening his eyes he was surprised to feel that the comforter had stayed on throughout the night. Harry was deeply confused, for he never was able to keep his blankets on throughout the night, he always woke up with them sprawled everywhere. Then the memories of the previous night seeped into his consciousness and he smiled. He had called Snape 'dad' and he had in turn called him 'son'. A warm feeling developed in his stomach, and it felt good.

Harry finally opened his eyes to find Snape looking at Harry with a confused look on his face, but with a slight smile. He blushed slightly knowing that Snape had been watching him as he went back down memory lane. "What are you doing?" he asked with a tiny voice, clearly embarrassed.

"Breakfast is ready, I thought you might like to have some," he explained.

Harry nodded and quickly got out of bed, still slightly embarrassed about the whole situation. But when he stopped to think again about the previous night, he smiled.

Snape couldn't explain the feeling that he had in his chest, but it felt good. The smile on the boy's face made his heart leap. He just wondered now how he could tell Harry and possibly lose that smile. He watched as the boy sat down and started to put food on his plate. He knew he had to tell Harry but that would have to wait until after the news he had for the young man, but _that_ would have to wait until after he finished eating or he wouldn't be able to eat.

After a few minutes of eating, Harry asked, "Did you take the potion to the ministry yet?" he asked, not sure if the man had enough time yet.

Snape nodded, "I went before you woke up. I really couldn't get much sleep after I came back, so I went to the ministry around eight then came back."

A jolt of nervousness hit Harry's stomach, "So, he'll know soon," Harry stated.

Snape nodded, "Yes, he will," he said, not looking forward to the time that he had to face the Dark Lord again, he was going to have a 'price on his head' as the saying goes, from this day forth. For his sake, and Harry's, he needed to be extra careful wherever he went.

The conversation ended and the meal finished soon after, then Harry started to pick up his dishes and head to the kitchen.

"Harry, you don't have to do that," Snape told him.

Harry looked back and said, "I want to, I like doing dishes," he told the man.

Harry started laughing at the look that the professor sent his way; it was one of total bewilderment. "And why on earth would you _like_ doing dishes?" he asked, slightly disgusted.

Harry composed himself and told him, "It's relaxing," then at the man's look he continued. "Well, at least for me, I had to do dishes almost my whole life, and I can't think about anything else while doing them, so it's sort of calming," he explained, walking into the kitchen. Harry wondered why there was a sink if the man never used it, but he guessed it was there if Snape ever needed it.

When Snape heard Harry's explanation, he was filled with sorrow, how could anyone put a child to work like those relative's of his did? He couldn't fathom why Harry had the most awful luck of anyone he knew. He was such a sweet kid, Snape finally admitted to himself after he got to know him. And he felt his parental instincts, which he didn't even know he had, kicking in. He didn't want Harry to get hurt again, and he didn't want him to feel that he needed to do dishes like he did while he was at his relative's house.

"Harry, you know you don't have to do them, right?" he asked.

Harry turned around from the sink, "Really? Well, it's alright, I like doing them anyways," he told the man.

"Well, you can do that later if you want, but I have something to talk to you about," Snape told Harry.

Harry looked nervously at Snape, and hearing the tone of voice made him a bit more nervous, it was as if Snape was more nervous than _he_ was. So he put the dishes down in the sink and walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Snape sat down in front of Harry in the armchair that was across from him.

Harry was starting to get nervous, what could be going on? And why wasn't Snape talking?

"Harry, Albus wished me to tell you this before you left," he explained. "Yesterday, in the order meeting Albus informed us about an event that had happened a week ago."

Harry started getting really nervous, Snape was beating around the bush and not making much sense, which wasn't like him at all. Snape was usually very blunt in what he had to say, but right now, he was doing the exact opposite. What was wrong?

Snape saw Harry's eyes fill with fear. He stopped talking, gathered his thoughts, and tried again. "Harry, I'm going to be very blunt, because that's the only way I know how to say this, ok?" Harry nodded his head and Snape continued. "Harry, your-"

Snape couldn't finish his sentence because Harry's head split in two and he ended up on the floor screaming.

_Voldemort flung curses at anyone that was unfortunate enough to be in his sight at the moment. He was enraged that _anyone_ dared to spy on him, then go back and take in his arch enemy. He finally was able to control himself and put his wand away. His anger had far from abated but he needed to make a plan; a plan to destroy Severus Snape and Harry Potter._

Harry tried to control his screams, but Voldemort was _so_ angry. He barely heard Snape saying his name over and over, but finally the pain started to dissipate. Harry was spent. He had no energy left to do anything except breathe. Finally coming to his senses, he realized that he was off the floor, his head resting on something. He realized that Snape had gotten him back on the couch and he was laying on his lap. The pain had receded enough for Harry to be a little confused, _Why is Snape holding me?_ He asked himself. But somewhere deep inside he remembered being hurt or in pain before and the Dursleys just locking him in his cupboard and letting him deal with it alone. But now he wasn't dealing with it alone. Snape was there. And he wasn't leaving him locked in his room to deal with it. He cared.

Despite the pain, Harry smiled. "Harry?" Snape asked, seeing the smile.

Harry looked up, still tired, but smiling. "Ouch."

Snape smiled, "I would expect so," he said, looking worried at the younger man in his arms. "Do those happen often?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, but found that it hurt to do so, "No, not really, it doesn't happen unless he's really angry, and sometimes he inadvertently shows me what's going on, but that's about it. He was really angry when he found out what you did, and what you had been doing and wasn't happy. I kinda feel bad for those people who were in the same room with him. I know they're Death Eaters and all, but he was cursing everything in sight. He's trying to find a way to get to you, and to me," he informed the man.

Snape sighed, if he knew this was going to be the result of his morning's event's he would have waited to go to the Ministry until after he told Harry his news. Now, though, Harry looked like he could barely stand. But he had an idea, "Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"

Harry almost shook his head but remembered the pain that it brought so he quickly said, "No, it's fine, I'll be alright in a little while," he explained.

Snape still looked unsure, but he wouldn't force the boy. "Then let me get you some potions," he said, gently raising the boy's head and getting up. Seeing the disappointment in Harry's eyes, he said, "I'll be back in a moment." When Harry nodded he quickly went back to his lab and retrieved a pain relieving potion, an Invigoration Draught, and a Draught of Peace. He quickly returned to find Harry's eyes closed and picking at a blanket on the couch. Snape smiled, then he realized that he was smiling. He wondered where it came from, he hadn't smiled since he left Hogwarts, even before then. But now, he found himself smiling at the sight of his son. He guessed it was a parental thing, and walked over to the boy. He pulled the blanket off of the back of the sofa and sat down next to Harry and put the blanket over him.

Harry smiled, it felt good to have someone care enough to put a blanket over his cold form. Never had the Dursleys ever cared enough to do anything, let alone _care._

"You're going to have to drink these, Harry," he heard Snape say.

Harry scrunched up his nose in disgustful anticipation, he knew those potions would taste bad, "Alright," he said, ready to get over with it.

Snape helped Harry sit up and started poring the pain relieving potion down his throat. Harry couldn't stand the taste of the pain relieving potion, but at least it took the pain away. He asked for a drink of water to wash down the disgusting taste. Snape smirked and handed him a glass. Harry downed the glass and made sure that the taste was gone.

"And another," Snape said.

Harry groaned, he hoped there wouldn't be too many potions, but before he could take the potion, the portrait opened. Snape started, and looked towards the door, and a shocked Remus Lupin stood in the doorway.

Harry was so shocked at Remus' sudden appearance that he couldn't move. He realized how compromising this situation looked, Harry laying down and Snape supporting him with a potion in his hand.

"Severus, what's going on?" Remus asked, still shocked.

"Nothing, Remus," Harry said, trying to get up.

"Harry," Snape said, a warning in his tone.

Harry groaned, he hated telling people about his visions, it made him feel even more abnormal. "Professor, it wasn't that big a deal!" Harry tried to argue. But seeing the look that said, 'If you don't tell him, I will,' from the man, he turned to Remus and said, "I had a vision."

Remus came out of his shock and moved toward the couch, "Are you alright" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," he told the man.

"Well, are you alright enough to come with me?" he asked, giving Snape a questioning glance.

Harry looked up to see Snape shake his head, and Harry looked questioningly to Remus. Remus shook his head. "Alright, well whenever you're ready," he said, and walked out.

"Wait!" Harry yelled after him. "What's going on?" he asked Snape.

Snape just pushed a potion into Harry's hands and said, "Drink it."

Harry quickly downed the drink and asked again, "What's going on?" then he gagged. "Oh that was gross," and his glass filled up again, and he quickly downed it. "What-"

"Last one," Snape interrupted again.

Harry growled slightly in frustration but took the vial and downed it as well, after taking another drink of water he felt his energy come back. "Wow, what was that last potion?" he asked.

Snape smirked, "An invigoration draught," he explained.

"Oh," Harry said, smiling. "Ok, so what _is_ going on! You started to tell me but then Voldemort decided to get angry, so _what's going on_?" he asked, confused.

Snape sighed, "Harry, your godfather is alive."

Harry could have sworn his heart stopped beating at that statement. His eyes grew wide and all he could hear was his heart beating in his ears. He felt tears start to form in his eyes. "What?" he whispered, not daring to breathe.

Snape sighed again, "Albus told us yesterday, that was the emergency order meeting. None of us knew that he was back, he just told us," Snape explained to the stunned young man.

Harry started breathing again as he felt himself becoming light headed. He found his head fill with questions, but only one thing could come to the forefront: "Where is he?" he asked.

"The Hospital Wing," he stated quietly.

Harry knew something was wrong with Snape, but he couldn't stop to think about that as he said, "Thank you," and then ran out the door and toward the room that his godfather was in. He didn't notice the man sigh once again and look longingly after him as he left the room.

Harry found that walking wasn't getting him where he needed to go fast enough so he picked up his pace to a fast walk. "Oh, what the heck," he said, and he flat out ran toward the Hospital Wing. He made it there in record time and he stopped right outside the door to catch his breath, then he walked in.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ginny saw Harry running down the hall as if his life depended upon getting to wherever he was going as fast as possible. She recognized the path that he was taking was to the Hospital Wing, then she started to get nervous. _Was something wrong? Was someone hurt?_

She decided to find out, so she quickly followed behind Harry and she found him just opening the door. But the weird thing was is that he looked calm and he had his breath back. She deduced that he must have waited before going in. So that meant that no one was hurt, because Harry would have burst through the doors and not waited.

She was curious to see what was going on, but she wouldn't pry too much, she would only look to see what was going on and then leave.

She quickly made her way to the door and opened it up a crack. She found Harry standing in the middle of the room, waiting. She had no idea what he was waiting for, but he was facing toward a bed in the back with white curtains around it. She knew she had promised herself not to pry too much so she decided to duck out now and ask him about it later. She was curious to know who was behind the curtains. She had an idea, but she hoped she was wrong.

She walked back down toward the Entrance Hall and made her way down to the dungeons.

She knocked on the door to Snape's classroom, but when no one answered, she walked in and went to the door to his office and knocked. When there was no answer she knocked again, knowing Snape wouldn't take kindly to her walking in when he didn't say she could. After no answer again, she quickly went around to find his quarters and after finding them she knocked, and said, "Professor?" when no one answered she tried again. But after no answer, she felt her fears confirmed, but she would go to the Headmaster before she made any drastic conclusion.

She quickly made her way to the Headmaster's office. Giving herself a pep talk of sorts, _Just because he's not there doesn't mean anything. Talk to Dumbledore, talk to Dumbledore._ She finally got to the Gargoyle and quickly named sweets. She finally guessed it, Ice Mice, and quickly walked up the now rotating stairs.

Making it to the top she knocked and was answered with a "Come in," from Dumbledore. She opened the door and walked in, seeing that Snape was not there. Her concern grew as Dumbledore motioned for her to sit.

"What can I help you with Ms. Weasley?" he asked.

"I saw Harry going to the Hospital Wing, and I followed him. I opened the door a little to see what was going on because I thought someone had gotten hurt. But all I saw was a bed in the back of the room," she explained, ranting slightly. "And I thought it might be Professor Snape and I went to his classroom, office, then quarters and I he wasn't there. Is he alright? Is he hurt?" she asked quickly.

Dumbledore started to chuckle, "Professor Snape is not in the Hospital Wing, Ms. Weasley. I do not know where he might be, but he is fine. I cannot tell you what is going on in the Hospital Wing right now, only Harry can. But everything is fine, no one is hurt," he informed her.

With a sigh, Ginny thanked him, "Ok, thank you, sir," she stood. "I guess I'm going to go now," and she walked toward the door.

"Ginny," she turned back around to look at Dumbledore. "Let Harry come to you, I'm sure he will want to speak with you soon," he told her.

Ginny smiled, "Ok, thanks again, sir," and she walked out of the room and back towards the common room.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry looked around and found a bed at the end of the room had the curtains drawn. Butterflies were in his stomach as he slowly made his way to the back bed. He stopped when the curtains suddenly opened and Remus stepped out with a smile on his face. When he saw Harry he smiled even wider.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said, walking over to him. "Come on," he said, laughing slightly when Harry didn't move.

Harry could only stare at the curtains and think of what was behind it. When Remus tried to move him, Harry couldn't go anywhere, his feel were planted on the floor and he couldn't move.

"Harry?" he asked, looking worriedly at him.

Harry looked away from the curtains and moved his feet, but he didn't move forward; he moved backward. "Harry?" he asked again, worry evident in his eyes and tone.

Harry shook his head he couldn't stand the thought that Sirius was behind those curtains, everyone told him that Sirius could never come back, that he was gone forever. And now they were telling him that he was alive and behind those curtains? _I don't think so._

Remus had no idea what was wrong with Harry. He was confused as to why Harry wouldn't want to see Sirius. Severus must have told Harry what was going on; so why was he acting this way? "Harry what's wrong?" he asked. "Don't you want to go see-"

"He's not there!" Harry yelled, taking several more steps away from Remus and the bed. "You all told me he was gone, that he couldn't come back! You expect me to believe this now?" he asked, taking even more steps back and shaking his head.

"Harry…" a weak voice came from the behind the curtains.

Harry covered his ears, his mind was playing games with him: Sirius couldn't be alive! "No, there's no way," he looked up at Remus and took his hands away from his ears. "You said he was dead," he told him accusingly. And before Remus could respond, Harry continued. "Dumbledore said no spell can reawaken the dead. So how is it that Sirius can be here?" he asked. "If no spell can bring back the dead, then that means that that person in that bed is an imposter," he continued, looking to the bed then back at Remus. "If that really is Sirius, then you all lied to me," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "Lied that he wasn't gone, that he wasn't really dead, that there was a chance that he could come back. If you hadn't lied to me I wouldn't have been miserable for half the summer!" he yelled, turning his back on Remus and walking toward the door.

"Harry, please…" the weak voice said again.

The emotion in the voice made Harry stop. He slowly turned around and what he saw almost made him run to the man and apologize incessantly. Sirius was barely standing, the poll that he was holding on to was holding up two things, the curtains _and_ himself. Sirius caught his breath and looked up to Harry and locked eyes with him. Harry felt terrible. Sirius looked horrible, and here he was trying to prove to Harry that it really was him. But there was still a part of Harry that couldn't believe it. The next thing that came out of Sirius' mouth made Harry's knees give out, "Pronglett, it's me, please."

Harry looked up tears in his eyes and quickly got off his knees and ran over to Sirius, who let go of the bar and started to walk toward Harry carefully. Harry stopped short and carefully gave Sirius a gentle hug, smiling for all he was worth. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Remus standing there with a smile on his face. "Sirius you need to get back in bed before Pomfrey comes in," he said with a smirk.

Harry led Sirius back to his bed and when he was all situated Harry grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. Sirius smiled at Harry and said, "It's good to see you, Harry,"

Harry laughed. "Good to see you too," Harry wanted to ask what happened and why he was back, but couldn't find it in him to ruin the moment. "How long have you been here?" he asked.

Sirius looked to Remus and Remus said, "He just got here yesterday, but he's been 'back' for about a week."

Harry looked confusedly at Remus, and he explained, "Sirius wasn't very stable, he could have not made it and if Dumbledore told us that he was alive and then Sirius not make it…" he left it like that knowing that Harry would understand what he meant.

"Oh," he said, smiling. Harry was about to ask Sirius if he would be staying after he was all better when he got the same feeling that he had the previous night came back. He knew what it meant this time, and he remembered the pendant, that he could talk with Snape as well. "Hang on a sec, I'll be right back," he told his godfather and ex-professor and walked to the other side of the room and said quietly, "Soda pop," hoping it would work. It was the first time that he had ever used the 'mind telephone' as he liked to call it, and he was hoping he wouldn't mess it up.

"_Sir? Professor are you alright?_" he asked. When he got no answer he decided to go check his rooms anyways, just in case he was just doing something wrong. He went back over to him and said, "I'll be right back, I have to go check on something," and he turned to leave.

"What do you need to check on?" Remus asked.

Harry quickly said, worry evident in his voice, "Snape, I think something's wrong," and started to run back out of the room.

But then he heard Sirius ask, "Snape? What's going on? Why is he worried about _Snape_?"

Harry stopped, his eyes grew wide, what would he tell Sirius? How could he tell him that his best friend wasn't his father? Harry spun around to look at Remus. He didn't dare look at Sirius, for fear of what he would find. The look Remus gave him told him he would have to explain it to Sirius.

Harry sighed, he really didn't want to do this. He didn't want to see the look in Sirius' eyes when he told him. But he had to do this and then go find Snape. He looked to Sirius and saw confusion shine in his eyes. Harry walked back over to the bed and sat back down in the chair. He knew that Sirius wouldn't like it, but he had to tell him.

Locking eyes with his godfather he sighed, "Snape came to the Dursleys about a month ago and brought me back here after a little, confrontation if you will, and he told me something that he had just only found out a few weeks before," he told him, eyes still locked. He knew he was leaving out a lot, but he didn't want to over tax his worn out godfather with the tales of the summer. _Besides_, he thought, _the shock will be enough to keep him in bed for another day or so._ "He told me that my mum had sent him a missive, that it explained why I had changed my appearance. He told me that she said that James Potter wasn't my real father," and once he said that his eyes went wide and recognition lit them. Then the recognition left and fury entered them. Harry looked down and whispered, "Snape's my real dad."

The silence that overtook the room after his last statement made Harry want to run and hide. The next thing he knew Remus was saying, "Sirius! No!"

Harry looked up to see fire burning in Sirius' eyes and he was trying to get up out of bed. Harry quickly got out of the chair he was sitting in and backed away from the man. If he had known Sirius would have had that reaction he wouldn't have said anything. Remus took out his wand and pushed Sirius back on the bed and then bounded him to it.

"Sirius you need to control yourself!" Remus told him.

Sirius was so angry that he couldn't talk. He looked back at Harry who took a few more steps back and had fear in his eyes when he saw the anger in his eyes. Sirius seemed to snap out of it when he realized that Harry was afraid of him. But he was so angry! How could _Snape_ be the father of Harry when James and Lily were very happy together? But he would ask those questions later, when Harry wasn't already on pins and needles.

Harry took a deep breath so that he wouldn't have a panic attack and told himself that Sirius wasn't going to hurt him, he was angry at Snape, understandably. But at the thought of Snape, fear possessed him once again when he knew that Snape was off grounds and wasn't answering his 'mind telephone'. He knew he had to make sure that Snape wasn't there before he went to Dumbledore, so he quickly made up his mind about what he was going to do, then he quickly said, "I'm sorry, Sirius, but I have to go," he said, looking to Remus who nodded.

Sirius nodded his consent as well, "It's alright, you go on, we'll talk later,"

Harry nodded, and turned to go, but ran back over to the bed and gave Sirius a quick hug. "I'm glad you're back," he whispered to Sirius.

Sirius answered quietly back, "So am I, kiddo. So am I,"

Harry smiled at his godfather and ran back out of the room and down toward the dungeons. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him, trying again and again to reach his professor, but to no avail. He quickly reached his rooms, gave the password, and entered his quarters. He felt a feeling of Déjà vu as he yelled "Professor?" all around the house. When he didn't find him there he did the same thing when he ran to his classroom and to his office But he wasn't to be found. He was about to run to the Headmaster when he suddenly heard a groan. He looked around quickly to see if it was Snape.

But then he heard "_Ok, breath deep, don't let them know you're awake_,"

"_Sir?_" he thought.

"_Harry?_"

"_Professor! What's going on? Where are you? I've been looking everywhere for you!_"

"_Harry listen to me, I'm fine, I don't know where I am right now, but I will momentarily,_" he paused.

"_Sir?_"

"_Lucious! Harry, I've got to go! I'll talk to you later, I've got some actions to answer to right now, I'll let you know when I can talk again," _and he was gone.

_"Sir? Professor?!" _Harry's heart almost stopped with the realization: Voldemort has him.


	10. Plans and Panic

Chapter 10

Harry could have sworn his heart had just stopped beating when he realized where his father was and what that meant. Just as the thoughts seeped into his mind Harry's body seemed to jolt back to life and he ran as fast as he could out of his room and out of the portrait and sprinted down toward Dumbledore's office.

He ran faster than he ever had in his life. Even Dudley chasing him couldn't make him run this fast. He made it to the Headmaster's office in a record time of two minutes. He didn't even need to say a password, the statue seemed to know that time was of the essence and moved out of the way. Harry sighed in thankfulness and ran up the stairs. The door to the Headmaster's office swung open wide when Harry got off the stairs and he ran inside to see a shocked looking Dumbledore, standing with his wand drawn.

Harry wheezed out, "Snape's been captured!" and that was all he could say before he collapsed on the floor.

Harry felt himself being lifted off the floor and onto something soft. He groaned, he felt like he just ran a mile. Then his thoughts came back to him and he jumped up off the couch that he found himself laying on. He saw Dumbledore and said, "Sir, what happened?"

Dumbledore smiled at Harry, "Well, you were able to make the gargoyle open without the password and were able to open my door without saying a spell, then said that Severus had been captured and then collapsed on the floor, probably from exhaustion," he told the stunned young man.

Harry layed back down on the couch. _Yup, definitely exhausted_, "Yeah that's probably why," then when Dumbledore said hit him, "Wait! Why did that happen?" he asked.

Dumbledore smiled, "Well, you were in great distress and your magic was out of control slightly, so your magic did what you wanted it to. So when you found that Severus was in Voldemort's hands you wanted to get to me to tell me what happened and you knew you had to get here as soon as possible you're magic helped you out, even without your wand," he explained to the young Gryffindor.

"Oh, alright then," he said, siting up again. "What are we going to do about getting Snape out?" he asked the Headmaster, getting right to the point.

Dumbledore sighed, smile gone, "There isn't much we can do for now except to try and find their headquarters and hope Severus is alright,"

Harry frowned, he didn't like waiting. But then a thought came to him, "Have you tried Malfoy Manor?" he asked.

Dumbledore gave Harry a look before saying, "We have at one point and didn't find anything. Do you have a reason to think we should try to look again?" he asked.

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, Snape said something about Malfoy, but then he left,"

Dumbledore looked confused, "Why would Severus say something about Mr. Malfoy before he was captured?" he asked.

Harry's eyes went wide, then he slapped himself on the forehead, "I'm sorry, professor, I didn't know that you didn't know. Professor Snape gave me a pendant for my birthday, that's how I can talk to him and him to me without being in the same room," he explained.

Dumbledore looked pleased and proud, "Well, that was a great idea on Severus' part. So he contacted you?"

Harry shook his head, "No, sir. I did. I had been trying to reach him ever since I felt him leave grounds, and I was finally able to get him and he told me that he was alright, just in the hand's of Malfoy," he finished, looking at the ground at the last statement.

Dumbledore's twinkle dimmed at Harry's announcement, but then smiled, "Well, then that means that when he is not in danger he will contact you again,"

Harry sighed, "But what if he's in danger now? What if he won't be able to contact me again?" he asked.

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, I know Severus. He will not leave this planet without letting you know, he would not do that to you,"

"What if he's in danger…now?" he asked again, slightly upset at the prospect of something that was probably happening at the moment.

Dumbledore knew what Harry was afraid of, and he was certain that what Harry feared was indeed happening at that moment, but Dumbledore was also certain that Voldemort would not kill Severus yet, and that gave him reason for hope. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure Severus will be in touch soon. So, go on back to the Hospital Wing," Harry nodded, sighed, and walked toward the door, "Oh, and, Harry?" he turned around. "Try not to worry too much," Harry smiled, knowing that he would do just the opposite.

"Thanks, Professor, I'll try," he said, knowing that he wouldn't.

Dumbledore gave him a smile that said that he knew he couldn't either, but he was just trying to help. Harry nodded to his headmaster and walked back toward the Hospital Wing. When he realized he was going back to where Sirius was, he stopped. Did he really want to go back and have to play _20 Questions_?

He knew he had to go back, not only to answer questions from Sirius and Remus, but to get some answers of his own. So with his new determination he turned toward the Hospital Wing and made his way down the corridor.

Harry smiled, it hadn't really sunk in that Sirius was alive. Harry opened the door and walked in, trying to be quiet, just in case Sirius was sleeping. Sure enough he went over to the curtained bed to see Remus looking over Sirius as he slept. Harry look at Remus and took the time to see how his old friend was doing. Remus looked tired but overcome with joy. Harry could totally understand. He doubted Remus had slept since he found out that Sirius was alive. He probably hadn't left his friend's side for the last twenty four hours. Harry looked over to Sirius who looked slightly better. He figured Madam Pomfrey had given him some potions to help him sleep and to help get him better. Harry smiled at the sight of his godfather. He was so happy to have the man back, even if Sirius didn't like the fact that Snape was his father.

Harry looked over to Remus who was still oblivious to the fact that Harry was standing there. His eyes started to droop but then he would straighten up and shake his head. Harry sighed, "Remus," he whispered.

Remus started and quickly looked over to where Harry was standing and sighed, "Hello, Harry," he said, his voice emitting how tired he actually was. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, "You need to go to bed, Remus, you're exhausted. Have you slept at all?" he asked.

Remus smiled, "Harry, I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'll go as soon as Sirius is alright," he told Harry.

"But, Sirius _is_ alright, he's here and well, and in the capable hands of Madam Pomfrey. And it's not like he'll be alone, I'm going to be here, so go to bed," he told the older man.

Remus shook his head, "It's alright, but tell me: what happened with Severus? Is he alright?" he asked, slightly worried.

Harry sighed, "He's been captured."

Remus' eyes went wide and his mouth hung open slightly in surprise, "What? How? When? What's-"

"I'm not sure," Harry sighed. "We'll be finding out soon, but until then all Dumbledore says to me is, 'Try not to worry too much,'" doing a very good impersonation of Dumbledore.

Remus chuckled at Harry's impersonation, "Well, he is correct, you have to try not to worry or else you'll go mad. I know you, Harry. You'll be up all night worrying, and if I find you doing so, I will personally come to your room and pour some sleeping potion down your throat."

Harry gulped, he knew Remus would do it too. "That won't be necessary," he said with a nervous smile. Remus knew him too well, that was exactly what he was going to do when he went back to 'go to sleep'. He hadn't planned on sleeping until his father was back home and safe. Now he knew he wouldn't be able to do that, Remus would make sure of it. But how could he sleep at a time like this? He was sure that Snape wasn't sleeping, so why should he?

"So, is he going to be knocked out for a while?" he asked Remus.

Remus was about to say something, but there was an answer from the bed, "Not hardly,"

Harry smiled and looked at Sirius who was smiling back at Harry, a tired look on his face. "How are you feeling, Sirius?"

Sirius smiled, "Better, thanks. Poppy is a very capable witch and is very good with the potions. I should be up and about in a few days," Sirius said, with a wink at Remus.

Remus shook his head but smiled. "You are just like a small child, Sirius"

Sirius smiled proudly, and Harry asked, "What? What's going on?"

Remus shook his head, "You don't want to know,"

Harry smiled, he could only guess what Remus meant by that, but Harry decided to change the subject, "Sirius, how did you get here?" he asked.

Sirius smiled, "I was wondering when you would ask that question," he looked to Remus.

"We aren't sure yet, Harry. Dumbledore has been very tight lipped about the whole thing. He has told us a few things, but not the whole picture," he explained.

Sirius nodded in agreement, "But I do know that it was a very weird and draining experience. Where I was, I wasn't aware of anything except the darkness. I had not memories or feelings. All I knew was the emptiness of space and color. I have no idea how to really explain it, as I tired to already with Remus and Albus, but that's the only way I can explain it. Then I was aware of some force pulling me away from the place I was in, even though I couldn't see where I was, I knew I was moving. Then I felt my energy draining from me and it felt like I was being pulled out of a tube and I couldn't breathe. I started to panic, but then I realized that I hadn't felt any emotion before, so I knew something was happening, something good. So I calmed myself and I saw a bright light and it came closer and closer until it overwhelmed me and I had to close my eyes. Then I heard a 'pop' and I was out in the bright light and the pressure was gone. Then I heard voices and I had my memories back, and I knew who those people were. Then I blacked out and I woke up at Grimmuald Place," he told Harry.

Harry had listened intently throughout the entire explanation, "That was definitely an experience," he said, overwhelmed.

Sirius smiled, "Well, at least now I'm here and I'm getting better,"

Harry smiled, "Yeah, you are,"

Remus smiled along with the two and said, "And we aren't going to do anymore dangerous stuff are we?" looking at Harry then to Sirius.

Harry shared a look with Sirius then they said in unison, "Of course not, Remus," then they laughed.

Madam Pomfrey came out and frowned at the two men by the bedside, "Mr. Black needs rest, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Potter," she told them, tyring to shoo them out of the room. And before Remus could protest she said, "You need sleep, Mr. Lupin, so you have one of two choices, get in bed here or I'm going to pour a sleeping draught down your throat and carry you back to your quarters,"

Harry smirked at Remus, who sighed. "I'll stay here," he said, knowing he would be fighting a losing battle.

"And you, Mr. Potter-"

"I'm staying too! I won't bother him, I promise!" Harry said quickly, not intent on leaving his godfather.

Madam Pomfrey was about to say something but thought better of it and said instead, "Very well, Mr. Potter, but if I find you keeping him awake I will throw you out and put a spell on the door to not let you in."

Harry frowned, "You wouldn't do that," he said with confidence. "But I won't keep him awake," he assured her.

"Good," and then she walked back into her office and closed the door.

Harry sighed and turned to his godfather who was almost asleep. He walked over and sat down in the abandoned chair by Remus who had laid down in the bed next to Sirius and was already asleep. Harry smiled at his godfather, who smiled back before closing his eyes and letting sleep overtake him. He laid back in his chair, getting ready for a long day when he heard his name being called.

_Harry?_

_Professor?_

_Yes, Harry, are you alright?_ he sounded tired to Harry.

_Yeah, I'm fine, what about you? You're the one in trouble,_

He heard Snape sigh, _I'm,_ there was a pause. _I'm alright._

_Liar, _he said with a bit of venom behind his voice, but just enough to let his professor know that he knew what was going on.

Snape sighed, _Harry-_

_How did you get captured?_

_Well, after you left I decided to go outside for a little while. __I was walking on the edge of the lake near the Forbidden forest, when __I thought I saw something, so I went over to check. But then I saw a flash of red and before I could react I was hit, then I woke up here._

_Where's here? Where are you so we can come get you?_

_I'm at a place called Death's Door. It's where we used to meet but then decided to use it just for holding prisoners._

When Harry heard the name he shivered, he didn't have to wonder why Voldemort would have named the place that; all Harry knew was that he needed to get his father out of there as soon as possible, _Where are you? Do you know which cell and anything else that might be helpful when we come? And can you tell me where it is?_ he asked.

_I'm not sure, all I know is that I'm in the dungeons. I haven't been brought out, so I haven't been able to take a look around, but I've been down here several times and I know this place well. And as to where it is, I will not tell you that, Harry. I know you too well, you'll try and come yourself, and Dumbledore knows where it is so you don't have to know._

Harry sighed, he hated that Snape knew him so well, but now wasn't the time, _Alright, fine, I'm going to tell Dumbledore, are you sure you're alright?_

Snape chuckled slightly, _Yes, I'm sure, don't worry too much._

Harry rolled his eyes, _You're the second person to say that to me in the last half hour!_

_Well that's because we know how you react to situations, Harry._

Harry heard the accusing tone in his father's voice, but also heard the smile, _Yeah, yeah, guilty as charged,_ he said, holding his hands up, but then realized that Snape couldn't see his actions. Harry laughed slightly.

_Why don't you go tell Dumbledore, and I'll be right here,_ Snape told him, trying to put Harry's mind at ease. This was the best thing that could happen, hearing what Harry was thinking, it gave him an inside view of how Harry thought, and he knew Harry was worried, and it warmed his heart.

_I heard that, by the way._

_Heard what?_

_That you think it's a great thing that you can hear what I'm thinking,_

_Guilty as charged,_ mirroring what Harry had said and didn't say anymore on the subject.

Harry sighed and was about to get up when he looked to the bed, _Sirius,_ he thought. How could he leave Sirius? He shook his head, Snape was in danger right now, and Sirius wasn't so he got up and went over to Madam Pomfrey's office and knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

He ducked his head in and said, "I have to go see, Professor Dumbledore, could you watch Sirius for me?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Of course,"

"Thank you, ma'am," then he left and ran to the Headmaster's office.

He quickly got to Dumbledore's office and when the gargoyle didn't movie he sighed, "Licorice Wands?" he tried.

_Try Ice Mice._

Harry started, he almost forgot Snape was still in his head, _Thanks,_ he told him. "Ice Mice," and the gargoyle moved. "Sweet!" then he ran up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in,"

Harry walked inside and said, "I know where Snape is,"

Dumbledore motioned to the chair in front of his desk and Harry gratefully sat down, "Where is he?"

Harry sighed, "Death's Door." Harry could see the change in Dumbledore's appearance when he said that. In a few moments he looked older than Harry had ever seen him. His eyes lost their usual sparkle, and he sighed.

"He told you this?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, he's sure that's where he is, he said he knew that place really well," he informed the Headmaster.

Dumbledore nodded his head, looking lost in thought for a moment, "Thank you, Harry, I will work on trying to get him back," he told Harry. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must call an emergency order meeting to try and figure out what to do," it wasn't an option, Harry knew, it was an order.

Harry sighed, nodded his head, and got up, "Harry," he turned around and Dumbledore smiled. "We'll get him back,"

Harry sighed, not feeling much better, "I hope so, sir. I hope so," then he left, not noticing the sadness in Dumbledore's eyes after his statement.

_Harry?_

He sighed, he wished he could go get Snape himself, but _no_ Harry was a child and couldn't be put at risk, _Gits,_ he thought.

_Harry? What's going on? Why are you so upset?_ Snape asked.

_I want to help, but Dumbledore probably won't allow it. He'll think it's too dangerous and we can't have poor baby Harry going into danger, oh no, we can't have that, he has to defeat an evil overlord first,_ Harry thought sarcastically, taking a seat on the floor outside Dumbledore's office. He sighed, _I can't do anything without someone checking up on me and making sure that I'm alright. I mean, yeah it's nice to an extent, but when they're checking up on me every few minutes, that's when it goes too far._

Snape seemed to take his time replying to Harry's statements, and seemed to chose his words carefully, _Harry, you are right. You do have to defeat the Dark Lord, even though your shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be put in danger before then. I know you won't like hearing it, but you should let Dumbledore do what he does best and allow the trained wizards come and try to get me out. There are too many things that could go wrong. I know you want to help, but it may be better to just wait it out at Hogwarts. And do people really check up on you ever few minutes? _he asked.

Harry rolled his eyes, he knew Snape wouldn't understand, _No, but I can tell that they want to. Especially after what happened at the Department of Mysteries, they don't want me to go do something stupid again. Not that I blame them, but it's not like I don't know I made a mistake._

Snape sighed, this wasn't going as he planned. He wasn't suppose to be here, in Voldemort's hands waiting for whatever it was that he would do, he should be at Hogwarts where it was safe. He was about to say something when he heard the clatter of doors which meant that someone was coming, _Harry, I've got to go, but I'll talk to you later, alright?_

Harry stood quickly, _Is everything ok?_

_Harry, I've got to go._

_Promise me that if it looks like things won't work out you'll give me a call? Please!_

_Yes, I promise, now I've got to go!_

_Be careful!_

And Snape was gone. Harry was close to tears, how could this have happened? He felt like he just had his father ripped from him. Harry knew he had to do something, he couldn't let Snape die! They hadn't even sat down and talked about things that happened in their past. Though some things would be left unsaid until a while later, he wanted to know about his dad. He always thought that he would never be able to see or talk to his father because he was dead, but now he knew he could because James Potter wasn't his father, Severus Snape was. He hadn't taken advantage of the fact that he had Snape right there, it still had been a bit odd to think of Snape being his father and to think of telling Snape things that he hadn't even told his friends. But now he realized that when Snape got back, they would be having long, and hopefully fun, discussions about things they did in their past.

But first Snape had to be found and brought back.

Harry realized that he needed to leave the gargoyle that he had placed himself in front of for his discussion with Snape, and then he needed to find his friends and they needed to come up with a plan to go get Snape.

Walking toward the Gryffindor Tower Harry thought of possible plans that would work to get in and get Snape safely out, and himself if possible. But every idea he came up with was shot down, it was either exceedingly stupid or wouldn't work in a million years. Can't apparate, don't know how and will definitely have wards; can't use a portkey, again with the wards; can't fly, Harry was starting to hate the idea of wards. _My invisibility cloak!_ He stopped. An idea was coming to him he made sure it was solidified in his mind before he made his way to the Common Room.

He got to the portrait, said the password, and quickly crawled in. He saw Hermione, Ginny, and Ron sitting at the table, laughing at something Ron must have done because his ears were red. Then it occurred to him that he couldn't put his friends in danger again. He made that mistake once and he wasn't going to do it again. But going back out was not an option because they turned and smiled at him. Harry smiled, knowing that he couldn't tell them about Snape because then they would have him on 24 hour watch, so he decided to tell them about something else: Sirius.

"Hey, Harry!" Ginny said, waving him over.

"Hey, guys," Harry said, smile growing at the thought of their reaction. "I've got something to tell you,"

He sat down and Ginny asked, "Is it about who's in the Hospital Wing?"

He looked at her and he could see that she knew something, "How did you know?"

She looked sheepish, "Well, I saw you running down the hall and I decided to follow you and found you going into the Hospital Wing. I looked in and saw a bed at the end that was cornered off. I went to Dumbledore and made sure everything was alright and he said it was and that you would tell us what was going on soon. So what is going on?"

Harry smiled, "Oh, it's nothing, just the fact that Sirius is back,"

Harry watched their reactions carefully, Ron looked confused and looked to be trying to work it out in his head but was failing miserably, Hermione looked saddened and didn't believe it at all, but Ginny's reaction was Harry's favorite. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open slightly, she was shocked but looked like she believed it, then she smiled wide and jumped up and gave Harry a hug.

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

Harry chuckled slightly, "Thanks, me too. I was just as surprised as you were,"

"Harry, I'm sorry, but it's not possible for Sirius to be back. He fell through the veil and I did some research, there is no way to get him out. Are you feeling alright?" Hermione asked, getting up.

Harry backed up so she couldn't put her hand on his forehead like he knew she wanted to do, "Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be? And you go tell him that. He's not 100 but he's doing alright," he told her. Hermione didn't look convinced, "Do you believe Dumbledore? Go ask him if Sirius is really in the Hospital Wing," Harry realized that he had to get out of here and get to Snape. But he had some planning to do first.

"Well, I've got to get going," Harry told his friends.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought quickly, and remembered what Remus said about him getting to sleep and he had an idea, "Remus hasn't left Sirius' side since he got here, so I'm going to see if he wants anything from the kitchens,"

Hermione smiled, "Alright, well you go have fun, I'm going to go talk to Dumbledore,"

Ginny and Ron stood, "Yeah, we'll go with you," Ginny said, pushing in her chair. "We'll see you in the Hospital Wing?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "Maybe, I might go up and take a quick nap cause of all the stuff that's been going on today, I'm a bit tired," he knew he had to make Remus believe that he was going to go to bed that night and he needed everyone to think the same so that if Remus was to question them he wouldn't get mixed signals from anyone.

Ginny nodded her head, "Alright, well we'll see you later then," she said, walking toward the portrait.

Harry climbed out after Ginny, Ron, and Hermione waved them off and he took the opposite direction to the Hospital Wing.


	11. HARRY!

Chapter 11

Harry had to get the plan in his head all cemented before he could even think about leaving to rescue his father. By the time he got to the Hospital Wing he had most of the plan solidified in his mind, but he still had a few things that he needed to find out what he was going to do about, like who was going to go with him and help him, because he couldn't go alone.

He quietly opened the door and saw Madam Pomfrey looking at some papers while Remus was still asleep. But when he closed the door, Remus stirred. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Harry, he yawned before saying, "Hey, Harry. What's going on?"

Harry yawned too, he hated when other people yawned, they were so contagious. "Well, I just got back from speaking with Dumbledore and I was going to see how you guys were doing," Harry told him. He turned to the mediwitch and said, "Thanks for watching Sirius for me, Madam Pomfrey."

Pomfrey nodded her head and said while picking up her papers, "It was no trouble at all," then she went back in her office with a smile to the two men.

"We're doing just fine, Harry. Thanks." Remus looked at Harry. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

Harry sighed, "Alright, I guess," he said, trying to appear calm while his stomach was doing summersaults.

Remus nodded understandingly, "I know it's got to be hard for you to not go and do something rash, but I'm very proud of you for not going out and finding him yourself," he told the young man.

Harry smiled, though inside he was anything but happy at the praise. _Great, what a way to make me feel better, Remus. Tell me that you're proud of me for not doing something that I shouldn't. Even when I know in a few hours I'll be doing exactly what you're praising me for not doing,_ he thought to himself.

"So, any plans for today?" Remus asked.

Harry had to restrain himself from banging his head against the nearest wall. "Not really, probably go hang out with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny," he told his ex-professor. He needed to get out of there and away from Remus or else he might just skip the whole plan entirely, then he remembered about getting Remus something to eat. "Oh, I was wondering if you wanted something from the kitchens? I didn't think you'd gotten anything much to eat lately and I can go get you something," he asked.

Remus smiled, "That would be lovely, Harry. Thank you,"

Harry smiled, "Anything specific?"

"Maybe some butterbeer and a piece of chocolate cake?" he said, winking at Harry.

Harry laughed, "Sure, I'll go see if I can't get some for you. I'll be back in a bit," and Harry gave Remus another quick, but tired smile, and left the room and made his way to the kitchens.

Harry yawned again, he _hated_ when people yawned because it made him tired when he wasn't even tired. When Harry was out of sight of the Hospital Wing he saw Ron, Hermione, and Ginny strolling down the hallway laughing about something and talking enthusiastically. He waved at them and they waved back when they saw him.

"Hey, Harry!" Ginny greeted.

"Did you guys talk with Dumbledore?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

Hermione blushed and looked down at the floor, "Yeah, we did," she said, then she looked up. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I should have known that you would know the difference between Sirius and an imposter. I was just so sure that the book I read was right, but Dumbledore told me that the book was older than it looked. When I got it, it looked almost brand new, there was a whole bunch of dust on it, but it looked new. But its actually a couple hundred years old, reprinted a hundred years ago and put in storage. And Dumbledore just found out a way to get him back out so," she paused and gave Harry a hug, "I'm so sorry, I found out that the books I read aren't always infallible."

Harry smiled, "It's alright, Hermione. I didn't believe Remus or Sirius at first either, so it's ok," he pointed back to the Hospital Wing and said, "Why don't you guys go see them, Sirius is asleep but Remus is up, I'm going to go run and get him something to eat," he told them.

Everyone nodded, and Ginny asked, "You want some company?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, it's alright, and besides, you'll want to see Sirius, I'll see you guys later."

Ginny nodded in understanding and gave Harry a goodbye hug and walked away with the others.

After his little pit stop he quickly made his way to the portrait, tickled the pear, and walked inside.

"Harry Potter, sir!" Harry heard before he felt his legs snap together.

He looked down to see Dobby the House Elf giving his legs a hug. "Hello, Dobby," he told the elf. "How are you?" he asked.

Dobby let go and stepped back, rocking on the balls of his feet, "Dobby is very good, Harry Potter, sir! How has Harry Potter been?" he asked.

"I've been alright, Dobby, thank you. I was wondering if you had a butterbeer and a piece of chocolate cake? Remus is a bit hungry," he told the elf.

"Dobby does, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby has some, Dobby goes and gets some for Harry Potter, sir," he said, before he disappeared.

Harry smiled and shook his head at the elf's antics, but then his head snapped back to where the elf had been standing moments before. _Dobby! He could help me!_ He thought. Harry's plan seemed to fall into place as he realized that Dobby could help him in his endeavor to rescue his father. _Why didn't I think of it before!_ Harry smiled.

Dobby reappeared moments later, "Here you go, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby hopes Professor Lupin enjoys his snack." Harry looked down to see two pieces of cake and two butterbeers.

Harry smiled. "Thank you, Dobby," he told the elf. "Dobby? I was wondering if you could help me? I need your help," he told him.

Dobby smiled, "Of course, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will do anything for you, Harry Potter set Dobby free!"

Harry laughed slightly, but then grew serious. "Dobby, let's sit down," he sat down at a table that was just to the right of them. "Dobby, I'm sure you know that Snape's gone," and when he nodded he continued. "He's been taken to Death's Door."

Harry saw the elf's ears drop and his smile vanish. _He knows._

"Dobby, I know you know that place, and I need help getting through it and I was hoping you could help me."

Dobby gazed sadly at Harry, "Harry Potter, sir. Death's Door is a very bad place. Dobby cannot go there, no Dobby cannot. Death's Door is very dangerous. And Deaths Door isn't a place for Harry Potter, sir. No, sir, Harry Potter cannot go there either!"

"Dobby, please. I'm going, it would be much easier for me if you came and helped me, but if you won't it's not going to keep me from going."

Dobby seemed to be battling with himself, but he finally said, "Very well, Dobby will help Harry Potter."

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry told him, thankfulness evident in his voice. "Ok, can you leave tonight?" he asked. When Dobby told him that he could Harry said, "Alright, I'll meet you here in about two hours. Can you take us both to Death's Door, or can you not take me?" he asked. Harry was afraid that Dobby wouldn't understand what he was saying but Dobby nodded his head.

"Yes, sir. Dobby can, sir."

Harry let out a breath. "Ok, that makes it easier. So, we'll leave and go to the place. Can you become invisible Dobby?" he asked when the thought came to him. Dobby told him that he could and asked why. "Because if you aren't seen then that would make things a lot easier. But how can I follow you?" he asked, thinking aloud.

Dobby suddenly jumped up. "Dobby has an idea, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby be right back!" and he disappeared.

Harry was slightly startled by the elf's disappearance but he took that opportunity to eat his piece of cake when his stomach started to growl. By the time he finished his cake and half his butterbeer, Dobby came back with what looked like string in his hands. "Dobby?" he asked.

"It is invisible string, Harry Potter, sir! When Dobby becomes invisible, the string will become invisible!"

"Dobby, you're brilliant!" Harry told him, smiling. He quickly came up with a plan. "So, you'll be able to tell me when to stop by pulling the string twice, to speed up by pulling once, and if I need to hide yank it out of my hands and then when the danger's past find me again. Does that sound good?" he asked the house elf.

Dobby nodded his head, sounding unsure, "Yes, sir. Dobby understands."

"Do you know your way around the place, Dobby?" he asked.

Dobby sadly nodded his head. "Yes, sir. Master took Dobby there a few times." Dobby shivered.

"So you know where the dungeons are right?" he asked. When Dobby nodded, he ran to the wall and started to bang his head on it saying, "Bad, Dobby!"

Harry ran over to him and pulled Dobby away from the wall. "Dobby, stop that! You don't need to punish yourself, the Malfoys aren't your masters anymore," he told him. And when he was calm Harry continued.

"So you'll lead me to the dungeons and then I'll get Snape out then we can get somewhere that my portkey will work and get back here, hopefully before anyone knows we're gone," he said with a sigh.

Dobby nodded his head, still looking upset with himself. "Dobby, I'm sorry for asking you to do this, but I need help, and you can become invisible and not be seen."

Dobby shook his head. "That is not why Dobby is upset, Dobby is worried that Harry Potter will be captured."

Harry smiled, "Well, I won't, but if I do then you stick around and wait until they're all gone and then come inside the cell and help us out, ok?" he asked.

Dobby smiled unsurely at Harry but said, "Ok, Dobby can do that,"

"Dobby, it's very important that you stay out of site at all times, don't come out unless no one is there, do you understand?" he asked, giving Dobby a stern look.

Dobby nodded his head, "Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will not let you down."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, Dobby." Then he remembered the snack in his hand for Remus. "I'll be back later, alright? I have to get this to Remus. Oh," he realized something. "Don't go near Dumbledore. I know how you'll act around him if you do. And don't punish yourself either, understand?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir. But if Professor Dumbledore tells Dobby to tell him Dobby cannot lie to Professor Dumbledore," he informed Harry.

Harry sighed. "Alright, but if you tell him then come to me straight away and we'll leave immediately, ok?" Dobby nodded in agreement. "Alright, then I'll see you later, Dobby." He waved good bye to the elf and made his way back to the Hospital Wing.

He finally got back to the Hospital Wing and calmed himself before entering. He wasn't sure if his friends were still there so he took a peek and saw that Remus was sitting in a chair, reading a book, while Sirius was still sleeping, but his friends were no where in sight.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Remus."

Remus looked up and smiled. "Dobby?" he asked.

Harry nodded his head. "He means well, but at least he didn't give me twenty pieces of cake and ten butterbeers," he laughed quietly.

Remus smiled and reached for the food that Harry was offering him. "Thank you, Harry. You're a lifesaver," he told the young man.

Harry smiled. "Well, I'd better get going, I'm a bit tired and I'm going to take a nap," he informed his ex-professor.

Remus smiled. "Alright, Madam Pomfrey says that Sirius will be out for the rest of the day."

"Ok, so I'll talk to you later?" he asked.

Remus smiled and nodded, "Yes, and I'm glad to see that you are taking my advice," he said with wink.

Harry crossed his arms, "Yeah, what was that advice? 'Go to sleep or I'll poor a sleeping potion down your throat.'"

"Yes, it was, and if you don't do as your told that's what you'll get," Remus told him, eyes dancing with laughter.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he turned around and walked toward the door.

"Hey, Harry?" he turned back around to see Remus looking at Sirius, then back to him. "I'm glad that you're going to go to sleep, really, it's not good for you to worry so much."

Harry almost bristled at the words, but calmed down. He felt a bit guilty too, letting Remus think he was going to go take a nap, but there was nothing he could do, he had to plan. If he went into this without a very intricate plan he knew something would go wrong. Harry sighed, he hated having to be the one to save everyone, but he straitened up, he knew he was the only one that could save Snape without the possibility of Voldemort deciding to just skip the majority of the torture and just kill him.

Harry nodded, smiled, then walked out of the room and down toward his room.

The evidence that Snape wasn't there was heavy in the air when Harry stepped through the portrait. Harry sighed and quickly walked to his room and closed the door. He grabbed a piece of parchment and quill and started to write out everything that was going to happen from the time he and Dobby left to when he got Snape and left. He was just finishing up when Dobby appeared with a very worried look on his face.

"Dobby?"

"Harry Potter, sir, Dobby is very sorry!"

Harry felt his stomach hit the floor as he realized what Dobby's words meant. "You told Dumbledore?" he asked.

Dobby ran to Harry's bedside table and took his lamp and started to bang it against his head saying, "Bad, Dobby! Bad, Dobby!"

Harry quickly ran to Dobby and took the lamppost out of his hand and said, "Dobby, now is not the time for punishments, we have to go now or else Dumbledore will not let me leave! Are you ready?" he asked quickly. Dobby nodded and took out the string. "Good, let's go then, if we need to think of anything else we'll do it at Death's Door, before we go in." He grabbed his parchment and left the room.

Harry made his way quickly out of his quarters and ducked his head out of the Dungeon Hallway to make sure no one was there. When he didn't see anyone he ran across the Entrance Hall. When he reached the door he heard someone yell, "HARRY!"

Harry opened the door and ran out just as a stunning spell was incanted. Harry ran as fast as he could across the grounds and made it three quarters of the way when the doors behind him opened. Harry was running flat out as he tried to get to the edge of the grounds. He hoped Dumbledore didn't have any power to stop the wards from letting him through. He saw Dobby at the edge of the wards looking quiet scared. Harry knew he couldn't look back but did anyways to see a red light speeding toward him. He ducked out of the way and continued running. He got to Dobby and said, "Now, Dobby!" and the next thing he knew he was traveling to Death's Door.


	12. Confusion and Hurt

Chapter 12

Dumbledore's POV:

"Dobby," Dumbledore called. When the elf appeared he said, "Dobby, I'd like for you to keep an eye on Harry, please. I'm afraid he might decide to go retrieve Severus on his own and I can't allow Harry to do that, it is too dangerous. I need you to stay out of sight and give me a report on how he's doing and if he's planning on going to get Severus."

"Dobby? Is something wrong?" he asked when he saw something in the elf's eyes when he finished.

Dobby looked like he was about to explode when he shook his head, "No, Professor Dumbledore, sir," but when Dobby saw the look that Dumbledore was giving him he quickly dissolved into tears. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, Harry Potter is a very good wizard and is worried about his Professor, so he's gots a plan to go get his Professor!" he said, and when he realized what he said, he started banging his head against Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore's heart stopped as he heard what Dobby was saying. "Dobby, stop punishing yourself!" he told the elf sternly. Dobby stopped banging his head and looked up at Dumbledore. "Dobby, when is Harry planning to leave?" he asked.

"In two hours, sir," he said, head hung in shame.

"Dobby, it's alright, thank you for telling me. But right now I have to get Remus to go get Harry before he leaves," Dumbledore said, standing up and walking to the fireplace.

Dobby took that as his cue to leave and he popped over to Harry's room.

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Remus' POV:

"Harry's doing pretty well actually,"

"That's good, at least he's not going to do anything rash. I'm still not sure about Snape, but," Sirius paused, and gave Remus a look.

Remus smiled and was about to answer when Madam Pomfrey called his name. "Remus, Albus needs you in his office," she told him, "And he said quickly, it's about Harry."

Remus' eyes went wide and said goodbye to Sirius, then quickly made his way to the fireplace and flooed to Dumbledore's office.

When he walked out of the fireplace, he saw Dumbledore waiting for him. "Remus, Harry is going to go rescue Severus."

Remus' heart dropped, "What? How? Why would he-"

"He's leaving in two hours, but I'm not going to give him a chance to make it out the doors of Hogwarts," Dumbledore interrupted Remus.

Remus nodded, "And you want me to go get him? Where is he?" he asked when Dumbledore confirmed that he was to go get Harry and then bring him to the Headmaster's office.

"I believe you will find him in his room." and Remus gave Dumbledore a nod then made his way quickly down to the Entrance Hall.

He quickly ran down the stairs and turned the corner to where he saw Harry running across the hall. It took him a moment to gain his voice and he then yelled, "HARRY!" He came to his senses and sent a quick stunning spell but Harry closed the door before the curse could hit him and hit the door instead.

Remus quickly ran down the rest of the stairs, which he didn't realize took that long to get down, then ran across the Entrance Hall and quickly opened the door to find Harry more than halfway across the grounds. He knew that Harry was a fast runner, but he didn't know how fast he actually was. But he had to catch up with him or curse him down, whichever he had to do to make sure Harry didn't leave the grounds. He ran as fast as he could and sent several spells toward Harry but none of them made contact, Harry looked back just after he said, "Stupefy!" and was able to sidestep it and keep running.

His heart plummeted when he heard Harry said, "Now, Dobby!" and he watched helplessly as Harry disappeared in front of his eyes. Remus didn't stop running though, he continued the rest of the way but when he was about to exit the grounds and apparate to Death's Door when he hit a wall of some sort and was thrown backward.

He heard someone yell, "Remus?"

Remus peeled himself off the ground and quickly stood up. "Remus?" he recognized the voice to be Albus' and he sighed.

"He got away, Albus," Remus said sadly.

Dumbledore sighed along with Remus, "Very well, let's get to work about getting to Death's Door then," he told him.

"Headmaster? What if we waited for a little while? Maybe Harry's plan will work?" he asked against his better judgment. "I mean," he said quickly at the look he was getting from the headmaster. "If we go in, without knowing what Harry's plan was, we could put him in even more danger."

Dumbledore nodded and sighed. "Yes, I agree. Harry shouldn't have gone, but Dobby mentioned that he had been planning this so," he paused. "Maybe nothing will happen and he will get Severus, then get out," he said hopefully. "And if worse comes to worse, Dobby will bring him back here for sure."

Remus nodded in agreement, but both looked sadly back to the place where Harry was last seen.

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Harry landed lightly on the ground. That was definitely better than portkeys. But now wasn't the time to compare notes. He looked down at Dobby who was eyeing the dilapidated building in front of them warily. Harry looked at Dobby and asked, "Dobby? Will they be able to know that we're here?"

Dobby nodded his head. "Though not yet, Harry Potter, sir. We are just outside of the wards," he informed him.

Harry let out a sigh of relief and decided to take a break before they went in. He sat down and said, "Let's rest a moment, Dobby. I don't want to rush in there without being sure everything is alright and that we both know what we're doing."

Dobby nodded in agreement, his ears flapping as he did. Harry gazed at the building. He hated the thought that his dad was in _that_. It looked like it could fall down at any moment. But Harry knew that it wouldn't happen, that it would be held up by magic, and have so many wards that it wouldn't even be funny.

_Harry?_

_Professor!_ Harry was startled by the man's thoughts.

_Is something wrong?_

_No,_ he thought, clearly lying.

_Harry, you're lying to me, what's going on?_

Harry bit his lip. _Well, I'm kind of outside Death's Door._

There was silence.

Harry knew his father was angry with him, for he could feel the anger in his mind, which was strange in and of itself.

Severus was having trouble finding words to explain how disappointed, angry, and scared he was for Harry. Every time he would think of something, it would be too harsh. But finally he decided to just say:

_Harry._

Harry flinched. In just that one word told him everything that he needed to know that was going through his father's mind. He heard the disappointment thick in that statement, and also heard anger and fear.

_Sir, we have a plan and we –_

_WE?! What do you mean "we", Harry? Who did you bring?_ Severus sounded scandalous.

_Dobby._

Severus was about to say something when he thought, _Hmm, that's actually a good choice._

Harry laughed slightly. _Thanks._

Severus shook his head, even though Harry couldn't see it. _Harry, you shouldn't have come. It's too dangerous!_

_And like I would leave you here? We have a plan dad, just trust us and we'll get to you and get out._

Severus smiled, Harry had called him "dad", probably unconsciously but it didn't matter because he liked hearing it. _Well, you still should go back. I'm sure Dumbledore is wondering where you are._

_Um._

_Harry…_

_Well, Dumbledore already knows._

_He let you go?_

_Well, no. Dobby told him. That's why we're here now instead of tonight when I planned on coming._

_Well, be glad that you didn't come tonight, this place will be full of Death Eaters. It's rather quiet right now, so if I can't convince you to go back, which you should, _Harry could almost see the glare that the man wanted to give him_. You should come in now and get it over with while almost no one is here._

Harry smiled. _Finally! Someone understands that I'm not leaving,_

_Well, you shouldn't even be here but if you aren't going to leave then you might as well come on._

_I know, I know. Dumbledore and Remus will probably blow their gaskets when I get back. But it's not like I could help it._

_Harry, we'll be talking about this later, so don't think you're off the hook._

Harry grimaced. _As long as you're alright, I'll be fine with it._

_Ok, well, why don't you come on in and let's see if we can get back to Hogwarts._

Harry stood. _Alright sounds good. You want to stay connected?_

_Sure. Just to make sure everything is alright._

_Alright,_ he said. He turned to the house elf. "Let's go, Dobby. We'll need to hurry when we cross the wards, so let's go."

Dobby stood, took out the string, then handed it to Harry. Harry took a hold of it and nodded to Dobby, who disappeared. He saw the string disappear then felt the string being pulled once and he and Dobby ran across the grounds. They got to the building and made their way around to the back. Harry assumed that this would be the quickest way to the dungeons. They were near the back of the house when he felt Dobby pull once, and start to run toward the wall. Harry was scared because all he saw was a wall and he wasn't wanting to lose all his teeth before he was eighty, but decided to trust Dobby and closed his eyes as he ran toward the wall.

When he opened his eyes he was inside of the building. The string pulled once more and Harry started walking. They came to a hallway and made a left turn at the dead end. Harry's heart felt like it was in his mouth. He looked behind him and in front of him to make sure that no one was coming. He tried to calm his heart rate while walking along behind Dobby.

_You alright?_

Harry jumped, but bit his lip to keep from screaming. _You scared me!_

_A little jumpy?_

_A little. I'm in Death Eater territory, what do you think I'd be, excited?_

Severus laughed. _No I don't think so, but just be careful ok?_

_Yeah, I'll try,_ he told his father.

_You'd better, cause if anything happens to you I'll bring you back just to kill you again for making me worry._

_Thanks, dad. Very reassuring._

He felt someone tap his shoulder and he turned around, and found himself staring into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. _Oh crud._

_What? What is it?_

_Malfoy at twelve o'clock._

Malfoy smirked, "Well, well, Potter, I never expected to see you here," he drawled. "I wonder why you're here, Potter. I wonder if it's for," he paused and leaned into his face. "Your father."

Harry had been slowly pulling his wand out of his pocket but when he heard Malfoy say his last statement he brought it out but before he could incant the stunning spell he was hit from behind by a stunning spell and he knew no more.

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Harry groaned as he awoke, he opened his eyes slowly and to his surprise he saw Snape sleeping in an opposite corner. "Dad!" he said, moving over to him.

Snape awoke at Harry's exclamation but instead of a smile Harry received a sneer. "Potter,"

Harry stopped, "Wh-What?" he stuttered. He never thought he'd hear those words in that tone ever again. "What happened?"

"Well, let's see if your measly brain can wrap around this subject, Potter," Snape said with venom. "I was captured because I gave the ministry that potion and then the Dark Lord decided that he wanted me dead because Lily Evans decided to tell me that you were my son, so I had to keep you and make that stupid potion to prove it in which I had to reveal my key position as spy. That is what happened."

Harry felt like he could break down and cry. What happened to his father, Severus Snape, who had just been talking to him before he was knocked out? The first thing that came to his mind was a curse, that someone cursed him to feel this way. "No, what happened to you. This isn't like you, what did they do to you?" he asked.

"They opened my eyes! After you were brought in they explained that you were the reason I was here and Lucius reminded me of our relationship before _you_ decided to come into my life and ruin it!" he said with venom.

Harry shook his head. "I know it's not you. You never talk like that, not lately anyways and not without some curse or something put on you!" he tried to reason with him, moving closer to the man.

When he got within distance of him, Snape reached out his hands in what Harry thought was an offer for a hug, but when he moved closer the arms pushed Harry away with all the force they could muster. Harry fell on his back a couple of feet from the still sitting man. Harry sat up and looked at him in shock and hurt.

"No curse was put on me, you insolent child! My eyes were opened to how stubborn and truly arrogant you are; thinking you could rescue me from the Dark Lord's hands all alone, you foolish boy!" Snape said, standing and eyes flashing with hatred.

Harry started to back up, images of Vernon started to appear in front of his eyes instead of his father. "Please? Why are you doing this?" he asked, confused to no end ans state. His father surly would remember the state that he was found in when he came to get him and would stop his advances. But that was not what happened, in fact, it seemed to spur the man even more. Snape came right up to Harry and stilled his movement backward by grabbing his shirt, he looked into his eyes and whispered with such venom that tears in Harry's eyes began to form, "I hate you."

Then he pushed Harry away from him. When he pushed Harry, the force was strong enough to knock him on his back once more, but also make his head hit the floor and knock him unconscious.

When Harry found himself coming back to consciousness he felt a dull pain in his head and groaned, lifting his arm to cradle his head. He opened his eyes and heard, "Harry?" he quickly sat up and started to back away from Severus with fear in his eyes.

"Harry?" Severus asked, his concern growing as he saw Harry flinch.

All Harry could think about was what happened with the man he had become close with before he had been knocked out. Those scenes kept playing in his mind over and over.

Severus saw the fear in Harry's eyes and the way that Harry was cowering from him. "What happened, Harry?" he asked, and was stunned to see Harry flinch again at the sound of his name. Severus was then forcefully reminded about how Harry would flinch exactly the same way when he had just been taken away from the Dursley's earlier in the summer holidays. When Severus tried to move closer to Harry two thing happened; one, he saw Harry move farther back and away from the professor, and two, he felt a sharp jab of pain near his ribs.

Whatever had happen ed before Harry had been brought to the cell had clearly made Harry regress to back when he was scared of any sudden movement. So Severus tried to move slowly toward the boy but with the same results. _He's scared of me, _he thought.

"Harry," he paused when Harry flinched. "Are you scared of me?" he asked, wanting to know what the boy was thinking and hoping that the question would loosen his tongue.

Harry made his panicked mind think. Was he afraid? Yes. With good reason? Absolutely. But the question that puzzled him most was: What was Snape being nice and acting concerned? Harry remembered when the Dursleys pretended to love him just to hurt him again by puncturing his hope that someone could love a _freak_ like him.

So to answer Snape's question; yes he was afraid. But he had learned early on to just look at the ground and nod. Giving as little response as necessary and as little eye contact with his aggressor as possible.

So he did just that.

When Severus saw Harry nod, looking at the ground, his heard constricted.

Severus was about to ask him what happened again, but before he could he saw Dobby the house elf appear in front of them. It took Harry a moment for his mind to release the panic that he felt and knowing that if something happened that Dobby would get him out. "Dobby!" Harry said, smiling slightly.

"Is Harry Potter and his Professor Snape ready?" Dobby asked, his gaze shifting from Harry to Severus.

Harry glanced at Snape and he put his hands in his pockets and found that his wand was not there. He quickly turned to the elf and asked, "Dobby, do you think you could get my wand for me?" Dobby smiled and reached inside his tea cozy and brought out his wand. Harry sighed with relief. "Thank you, Dobby," he said. "Now, we're ready," he said in a small voice.

Severus sighed, he knew that something happened to Harry when he was with Lucious, but he did not know what. But that would have to wait until later when they were back at Hogwarts.

"There's no one there, right, Dobby?" Harry asked the elf. When the elf told him negative, Harry stood. Harry winced and tried to massage his head to keep the pain away.

"Is Harry Potter alright?" Dobby asked, clearly concerned.

"I'm fine, Dobby. Just a bit of a headache," he reassured him.

When Dobby disappeared, Harry felt his panic start to come back for a moment, but then heard the lock on the cell open and Dobby swing it open. "Alright, let's go," he told Dobby, the message also for Snape. He left the cell as quickly as possible and stayed as close to Dobby as possible.

Harry ducked his head out of the cell and saw that there wasn't anyone there, he quickly turned to the elf and asked, "Dobby? Where can we use our portkey?"

Dobby opened his mouth to answer but Snape was the one who answered.

"Once we get out of the dungeons we can activate them."

Harry flinched and had to remind himself to breath. He couldn't panic here, as he was still very deep in Death Eater territory. So, he concentrated on getting out of the dungeons and made his way down the winding halls to keep the edges of his panic attack at bay.

Severus pointed to the carpeted area and whispered, "Just up ahead, here, and we can activate the portkeys."

When they got to the carpet, Harry said, "Dobby, grab my hand," when he did Harry turned to the man. "You can grab Dobby's." When he did, Harry reached into his shirt and felt the pendant around his neck. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered getting it and the love that he felt that day and knowing that he didn't have to fear being with Snape. Now was different though, and it tore at his heart: he had lost another father.

While Harry was in memory lane, Severus was watching, making sure that no one was coming. Then Harry seemed to come out of his daze and take the pendant out of his shirt and into his hand and watched as it materialized on his hand.

Then Lucius Malfoy turned the corner in front of the group, saw the two men and Dobby, then, filled with rage, ran toward them. A thought came to Harry's mind and he smirked as he stuck his tongue out at the man and said, "Bye, Malfoy. Hogwarts!"

Right after they disappeared Malfoy launched toward them and when he hit the floor all he had in his hands was air. The prisoners had escaped and were on their way to Hogwarts. His master would be very displeased.


	13. All's Well?

Chapter 13

Harry felt his feet crumple beneath him and he fell down and hit his knees. He felt someone standing over him and when he realized that it was Snape's voice asking if he was alright, he quickly backed away from the man, images from his time in the cell and the Dursley's come back to him and all rational thought left him.

Snape backed away when he realized what was happening. He quickly called Pomfrey into the room.

"Severus, what happened?" the woman asked.

"I wish I knew," Severus said, looking sadly at the boy that was cowering from him.

"Harry?" she tried, moving to stand in front of Severus. So that when he looked up he only saw her.

"Yes?" he answered quietly.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, can I go?" he asked.

Pomfrey tried to be as gentle as possible in her tone. "I'll have to give you a look over before I can let you go."

Harry nodded jerkily, starting to calm down, knowing that nothing could happen now that he was back at Hogwarts.

"Just a bunch of curses, Pomfrey, nothing to fuss about, I'll be fine!" he tried.

"Severus, you've been under the Cruciatus Curse! And several others I will not even dare to mention," she said, her voice laced with concern.

"It's nothing, woman! Just let me go and brew some potions and I'll be fine!"

Harry's eyes started darting around nervously as he listened. He felt his heart start to race, but then calmed it. He gazed at the ground, shuddering as he remembered the way Snape had looked into his eyes that had shown such hatred as he said "I hate you" then pushed him back with enough force to knock him out.

Harry wondered what happened to make Snape hate him so much in such a short period of time. Logic told him that it wasn't possible unless he was under the influence of some potion or curse. So what happened? He hoped that it hadn't been Snape saying those things, but even if it wasn't, they brought up fears that had been hidden beneath the surface of his consciousness for a while. And now that it was brought back to the surface, the doubts would be a long time in going away.

Suddenly the door to the Hospital Wing burst open and Harry jumped almost a foot in the air and screamed. He hadn't been prepared or fully calmed down before Dumbledore quickly walked in and moved to Harry.

"Harry, my boy, are you alright?" he asked. Making sure to stay a few feet away, noticing the jumpy Harry that had come into the Hospital Wing a month ago.

Harry made sure to calm himself down before he said anything. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, nodding as he did so, hoping Dumbledore wouldn't push the issue and let him be for a while. _Something finally going my way_, he though as he heard Dumbledore walking away and toward Severus.

Harry's mind wandered and didn't listen to what the two men were talking about. He thought about where he was going to stay and what he was going to do now. He couldn't go back to the Dursley's and he couldn't go to an orphanage. What could he do? He felt a hand on his shoulder and, after biting his lip to keep from screaming, he jumped and jerked his head to see Sirius standing beside him with a worried look on his face.

"Harry? Are you alright?" he asked.

Harry sighed, his head hung, that was what Snape asked him minutes earlier. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told Sirius, mind elsewhere.

Sirius could see Harry wasn't all there with him and asked, "Did something happen?"

Harry shook his head, "Not now, Sirius. Later, maybe, but please don't ask me right now." Harry was afraid that he would break down at having to state everything out loud, like it would be official that Snape hated him. And besides, Sirius would probably kill Snape when he heard what happened. He chanced a look at Snape and saw Dumbledore looking at him as Snape talked. Harry looked away quickly and stood.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked.

"The Common Room," he said. He started to walk away. "To see Ron and Hermione."

Harry made it out before anyone could call him back. He was surprised by that as Pomfrey would have wanted to make sure he was alright before he left, but he was thankful that Dumbledore told her not to call after him. He knew it had to be Dumbledore because he was the only person that the nurse would listen to about her patients. He also wondering about why he wasn't receiving many lectures, not that he was complaining, but he thought Dumbledore would have been on him like Filch on a misbehaving student.

But no matter, he was just as content to go back to the Common Room and see his friends, just as long as they didn't ask him where he had been. Walking down the empty halls he wondered if his friends would know of his disappearance. A part of him wanted his friends to know and for them to worry but the other part of him didn't want them to worry at all. He smiled when he saw the Fat Lady. He was back at Hogwarts, out of danger, and home.

He quickly said the password and crawled inside. He saw Ginny first, she was sitting on the couch near the fire smiling, though lost in thought. She looked up to the mantel then shook her head and her smile grew. He looked around the room and what he saw made him groan. Ron and Hermione were snogging by the table.

Ginny heard him groan and looked over to him and motioned him over. "Hey," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the snogging couple.

"Hey," he said, sitting down next to her.

"What's going on? I thought we were going to meet here a few hours ago?" she asked. "Get caught up with Sirius?"

Harry sighed, apparently they didn't know about what he did. He looked at her and her smiled started to fade. She looked concerned and asked, "What happened?"

Harry stared into the fire as everything that happened came to the forefront of his mind. Harry looked over to see if Ron and Hermione were listening, but found the portrait closing. He took a deep breath and started to tell her what happened, from finding out that Snape wasn't on Hogwarts grounds, to figuring out a plan, to actually going with Dobby, and to finally coming back to Hogwarts. He did leave out the parts about what Snape said and did, because he knew Ginny would be livid and want to go give Snape a piece of her mind.

Ginny was speechless. She sighed in sadness and disappointment. "Harry, why didn't you tell us?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "Because I didn't want to make the same mistake twice and put you guys in danger again. And besides, I knew if I told you guys you'd either want to come or tell Dumbledore so I didn't go. I was the only one who had the best chance at getting Snape and bringing him back still breathing! If the Order had gone in, there was no chance that Snape would be here now. The Death Eaters would have been told to skip their torture sessions and just kill him so he couldn't get back here. So I did what only I could do: I made a plan, stuck to it, and technically, it worked and I got Snape back in one piece. Is there something wrong with that?" he asked her.

Ginny smiled slightly. "No, there's nothing wrong with wanting to get your dad back in one piece. It's the _way_ you did it that made it wrong. You didn't tell anyone where you were going, you went into Death Eater territory with only Dobby as protection, and you didn't think the whole situation out thoroughly. Because if you did," she said, as Harry tried to interrupt. "You would have just had Dobby go in and bring Snape back out instead of putting yourself in danger as if it was the only way," she explained.

"But I didn't go without anyone know that I was going," he told her.

Harry didn't think that Ginny's eyes could go that wide as she said, "Who knew?"

"Dumbledore and Remus."

"And they just let you go?" she asked, horrified.

"Not really, Dobby told Dumbledore, who apparently told Remus, who chased me across the grounds."

Her eyes were very wide when he finished his explanation but she said, "So you went without anyone's permission, then. But you still could have had Dobby go instead of going yourself as if it's your job to do so."

Harry thought for a moment. She had a point. He wish he had thought of that and then he wouldn't be having this discussion. But still, the fact that he was slightly grateful that he didn't came to his mind. If he had, he never would have found out that Snape hated his guts. Harry wished that he could have done just what Ginny had said and he would still have a life with his father. But what would have happened if he hadn't known? Would Snape have become even more violent?

"Harry?"

Harry looked up from his thoughts and looked into worried eyes of Ginny. Ginny seemed to be trying to find out what was wrong by just looking in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She thought for a moment. Then recognition dawned in her eyes. "You didn't tell me everything, did you?" she asked.

Harry looked down at the floor. He didn't want to tell her. If he told her, not only would she be angry, but he wouldn't be able to take the words back, it would be official. Harry shook his head.

Ginny nodded her head in understanding. "Alright, but whenever you want to talk about it, just let me know," she offered.

Harry smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," he had to crush the urge to spill his guts about what Snape said: now wasn't the time.

"So what have you been up to?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked around the room, "Well, apparently less than what those two are doing," she said with a knowing smile. "Nothing much really. We just sat around and made fun of Ron, joked about school, made fun of Ron, and," she paused. "Did I mention that we made fun of Ron?" she asked with a straight face.

Harry laughed. "Yes, I think you did. That seemed to take up most of your time," he observed.

Ginny nodded her head with a smile. "Pretty much. It was too fun to pass up!"

Harry smiled and shook his head; his friends were so weird. He then saw Ginny look up over his shoulder, and then back to him. Harry knew someone else was in the room with them and wondered who it was. The only reason that he didn't jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder, was because Ginny wasn't worried. So when he turned around he saw Dumbledore standing behind him. Harry looked back at Ginny who smiled at Harry. He knew he was going to get a lecture now, he had to. Dumbledore had gone a whole thirty minutes without telling him that it was wrong of him to go get Snape, so he assumed that it was time now.

He stood up, and so did Ginny. "I've got to go," he told her. "I'll be back later,"

Ginny nodded and sat back down, looking at him with concern as he left the room with Dumbledore.

Harry walked with Dumbledore to his office. Harry wondered what was going to happen, whether or not Dumbledore would put a spell on him or something to make sure he didn't leave grounds. But he knew that Dumbledore would keep a close eye on him when, or if, someone went missing again. They got to the gargoyle and Dumbledore said the password and they both walked up the stairs.

Harry sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore and stared at the desk. High enough that he could see what Dumbledore's expression was, but low enough that it looked like he was looking at a low part of the desk. Dumbledore just sat there, looking at Harry, waiting for him to look up at him. Harry sighed, he closed his eyes and plucked up his Gryffindor courage and opened his eyes and looked up at Dumbledore. He knew what he did was wrong, but he knew he did the right thing at the same time, that alone made it a bit easier to look at the Headmaster: he knew he did the right thing.

"Harry?" he asked, face still passive. "What happened in the cell?"

Harry's eyes widened slightly. That wasn't what he expected. But he couldn't tell the man what happened, he could barely admit to himself what happened. Harry shook his head, still looking at the Headmaster, he couldn't say it.

"Harry, no one else knows what happened in that cell except for you."

That got Harry to talk. "Why don't you ask Professor Snape? He knows exactly what happened," he said sadly.

Dumbledore looked confused for a moment, "Harry, I've heard his side of the story, and the only thing that he knows is that you came into his cell, led by Lucius Malfoy, and was thrown inside. Then when you awoke, you were very cold toward him. Why, Harry? What happened?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Harry stared into Dumbledore's eyes, knowing that he probably was able to tell what was going on inside of him. "He hates me."

Dumbledore looked taken aback, and Harry cringed. He hadn't meant for it to sound so helpless, but when he said it, he knew it couldn't be taken back, and everything that had happened earlier came back to him.

"Harry, Severus does not hate you! What would possibly give you that idea?" he asked.

"He told me so," he said, making sure his voice was stronger this time.

"Harry, Severus told me everything, and I know he did not leave anything out, at least concerning you," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, and Harry chuckled slightly. "But he knows nothing of what happened until you were thrown inside his cell."

Harry shook his head. "What happened, _occurred_ in the cell. So of course he doesn't know anything that happened while I was outside of it, but he was inside with me, so how he doesn't know is beyond me," he told the man coldly.

"Harry, why don't you tell me what happened?"

Harry sighed and leaned back in the chair, looking at the different portraits of the former Headmasters, wondering how he was going to tell him. He chose to start after he saw Malfoy. "I woke up in the cell with Snape after meeting Malfoy in the hall. I found him asleep and I went over to him," he said, remembering what happened. "He woke up and said 'Potter' in that tone that he used for the past few years. I was confused, so I asked what happened and he basically told me that it was my fault that we were there and that he made it sound like it was a hardship for him to take me. I thought that it couldn't be him, he didn't talk to me like that a few minutes earlier, so I asked him what the Death Eaters did to him and he said that they opened his eyes to how much I ruined his life," he said, tears coming to his eyes, he was appalled to hear his voice crack again. He tried again. "I moved closer to him, trying to reason with him, he raised his arms and I thought he had realized what was happening and was back to his regular self, but when I got close enough he pushed me back and I fell on the floor. He stood up and…" he stopped, remembering all that Snape had said.

"_My eyes were opened to how stubborn and truly arrogant you are…you foolish boy!_"

_"I hate you."_

"And what, Harry?" Dumbledore asked when Harry stopped talking, his eyes glazing over.

Harry came out of his memories and shook his head. "He told me he hated me, he said it with such venom and then he pushed me and I ended up being knocked unconscious. Then I woke up and he acted like he didn't know what happened moments before, he tried to fool me into being concerned. Then Dobby came," he said, sounding defeated even to his own ears.

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, I can tell you that the person telling you those things was not Severus. I know that he did not say any of those things. And Severus would never push you, he saw what happened at your uncle's and he would never do that to you," he said with conviction.

Harry lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Thank you sir, but you weren't there, he was just like he was last year." He looked up and said sadly, "No one can act that well."

Dumbledore looked sadly at his young pupil. He knew that things had to be put right, and he knew just how to start the wheels in motion. "Very well, I shall talk with Severus and see what happened," he said, standing.

Harry started to stand but Dumbledore motioned for him to sit. Harry looked at him questioningly and was about to ask what was going on when Snape walked out onto the balcony behind Dumbledore. Harry's mouth closed slowly as he watched as Snape came down the stairs, never once taking his eyes off of Harry's.

Harry's stomach contracted as he watched Snape walk down the stairs. He hated that Snape heard the whole thing and that Dumbledore allowed him to! Now Snape knew how much it bothered Harry about what he did. The look in Snape's eyes was not one of loathing or hatred, but of sadness and concern. He wondered what Snape would say when he got down from the steps. The thought of running from the room came to his mind, but he couldn't move, it was almost as if he was frozen to the chair.

Harry's eyes shown with apprehension and sorrow, and it broke Severus' heart to see those emotions shine in his eyes so strongly as he approached. He knew that Harry thought he said all those things and did all those things, but he would _never_ talk to Harry like that again let alone push him to the ground.

Severus had no idea how he was going to fix what the man had done. He had only one conclusion to who impersonated him and made Harry think he hated his guts: Malfoy. He was the only person in their "little group" who was intelligent enough to think of that kind of plan and then go through with it. And besides, the fact that it was only Malfoy who brought him in also helped with his deductions. Malfoy's intelligence wasn't very high, but at least higher than the others. When he got his hands on that man he was going to definitely cause him some pain. But for now he had other issues on his hands, and that was getting Harry to believe that he would never, and didn't, do anything like what he said "he" did to him.

No one noticed that Dumbledore left the room and went to his quarters to allow the two dark haired men to talk.

Snape made it down off the stairs and walked over to the seat next to Harry and turned it so it was facing the young man.

Harry ducked his head slightly, finally breaking eye contact since Snape showed himself on the top of the stairs. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Harry, I'm going to tell you what happened on my end of the story, and not leave anything out." Harry's head snapped up in horror. "Concerning you," he finished with a smirk.

Harry smiled slightly, but caught himself and averted his eyes again. "Alright," he said, telling the man to start. Harry was bracing himself for the story that made Snape hate him so much, if it was a curse, potion, or just him realizing how annoying and burdensome he was.

"When you told me you were coming, obviously I was upset with you, disappointed, sure. But slightly flattered that you would risk your life to save me." Harry smiled sadly. "So I told you to come on and get it over with it you weren't going to change your mind. That was as much for your sake as it was for mine. I knew if you waited any longer you would be in danger of getting caught, because around that time, maybe an hour after that, there would be a bunch of Death Eaters coming."

"Why?" Harry couldn't catch himself as he asked.

Snape sighed, "I overheard Lucius telling some of the less intelligent members of the group that that night would be the night that the Dark Lord would come to see me."

Harry's eyes went wide and then he collapsed back into the chair and sighed in relief: he made it just in time.

"And it was also for my benefit because I didn't want to worry for a long period of time. So you came in and then I startled you." Harry smiled at the memory. "Not intentionally I assure you. I was just checking on your progress when you said Lucius was in front of you. I was sure Lucius would take you into another cell and," he stopped, thinking. "Anyways," he continued. "So I didn't know what he would do to you. I knew that Lucius would probably bring you to the Dark Lord with me, which I wasn't very happy about. But after about thirty minutes, Lucius brought you in and threw you into the cell. When I saw you at first, I thought you were dead, but when I went over to you, I saw you were still breathing. Then you woke up and, well, you know the rest," he finished.

Harry shook his head. "That's not everything," he stated. "Why don't you tell me why you said those things? All those thing that you have been harboring for weeks against me. If you didn't want me around you should have just told me and I would have gone to the Tower. You didn't have to lie."

"Harry, I didn't lie, I wasn't lying. That's all that happened from the time you told me you were at Death's Door to the time that you woke up and were yelling at me. I know nothing of what happened between you and, well, me," he finished lamely.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "Then who was it that I was talking to?"

Snape sighed. "I have a theory, but only a theory." Harry gave him a look that asked, "Well, what is it?" Snape continued, "I think Lucius made a polyjuice potion and tried to hurt you, and me, by pretending to be me to destroy the relationship that we had."

Harry gave him a doubtful look. "But polyjuice takes a month to make."

Snape nodded his head, but smiled slightly. "Yes, but they have lots of polyjuice around in case they need it. Different strengths that can last for certain amounts of time depending upon the strength of the ingredients and such."

Harry's eyes went wide as he saw the realization of this. But he still wasn't sure, how could he be sure?

Snape sighed, he needed to show Harry that he wasn't lying. But how could he do that? _Wait, that's it!_ "Harry, give me a moment, please," he said, getting up and going back up the stairs.

Harry was a little confused. Why was Snape leaving and going back up the stairs? But he didn't have to wait long because he came back down moments later, with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore went behind his desk and took out his pensive and put it on his desk without a word. Snape pulled out a memory and put it in the pensive. Dumbledore went inside and Harry gave Snape a very confused look, but Snape just watched the pensive and Dumbledore came out after a few moments.

"Harry, the memory in there has not been tampered with. Everything in that memory is what happened and only what happened, nothing added or taken away, I assure you," Dumbledore said, motioning for Harry to go into the pensive.

Harry hesitated, looking at the pensive and to Snape, then back at the pensive, taking a hesitant step.

As if he read his mind, Snape said, "I'm giving you permission to watch this one."

Harry nodded and then walked over to the desk and went into the memory.

Harry looked around and saw the cell that he had been imprisoned in and Snape sitting in the corner looking concerned and looking at the door. Then the door swung open and Lucius Malfoy stepped, dragging an unconscious Harry Potter behind him. He looked at his knees and saw slight scrapes from where he had been drug that he hadn't noticed before. It was a very odd sensation, watching yourself being flung into a cell with no care to his person.

"Harry! What did you do to him, Lucius?"

Harry watched as Snape made his way, slowly and painfully, toward his unmoving body. Malfoy turned and left without a word, and Harry watched as Snape checked him over and then propped him up on the wall. Harry moved forward and waited for himself to wake up. He watched Snape as he moved back to where he was and looked from Harry to the door and back to Harry every minute it seemed. It looked like, from Harry's point of view, that Snape was making sure no one else was going to come through that door.

Harry watched moments later as he groaned. Harry's stomach clenched painfully as he waited for Snape's snide remarks.

But they never came.

He watched as Snape said, "Harry?" and he quickly sat up and started to back away from Severus with fear in his eyes.

"Harry?" Severus asked again, and Harry watch as his memory self flinch.

He saw nothing else as he was taken from the pensive.


	14. Understanding and Totally Trashed

Hey guys!!!! I'm so sorry for the mix up, but here's the actual chapter of the story!!! Enjoy!!!!

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Chapter 14

Severus watched as Harry stumbled out of the pensive and quickly caught the young man. He saw that his face wore a shocked and embarrassed look as Severus led him to the chair in front of Dumbledore's office.

Severus sat down in front of Harry again and waited for him to look up. When he did he saw the shame and internal struggle in his eyes.

Harry looked back down to the ground and Severus was shocked to hear the defeat in his voice.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have overreacted like that; I don't know what I was thinking. I should have known that it wasn't you." He winced and then stood. "I guess I should go, please forgive me, sir."

It took Severus until Harry was outside of the Headmaster's office to get over his shock and confusion and run after the boy.

"Harry!"

Harry turned and Severus caught up with him at the end of the stairs. "What on earth are you talking about, Harry?" At Harry's confused look, Snape went on. "You said that you 'thought you should go'. Why are you going?"

Harry gave him a sincerely confused look. "Well, I thought you wouldn't want to still have me around, with the way I reacted. Why _would_ you still want me around after everything I accused you of?" he asked.

Severus blinked. "Harry, of course I still want you to stay. You only accused me of what you saw because of how I reacted toward you for several years, and the events that occurred with your uncle didn't help matters." Severus sighed. "Harry, come with me, please."

Harry agreed and followed Snape till they got down to the dungeons and to their quarters. Severus sat down on the couch and motioned Harry to sit next to him.

"Harry, I know now that I should have had this talk with you several weeks ago. If I had you wouldn't have thought that it was me saying those things to you. Please allow me to talk and don't interrupt."

Harry nodded, surprise and curiosity evident in his eyes.

"I know that you and I didn't get off on the right foot when you started Hogwarts. When I saw you at the feast, I saw James Potter. I only saw who made my school years miserable. I couldn't help but hate you because I assumed you were your father because of your looks. But that doesn't excuse me in the least. As the years went by, and you grew up, all I could see was how much more you were becoming like him, how you would get away with everything you did that was against the rules, and I wasn't able to cope with that very well. Your father got away with a lot as well, and without punishment. It was just another reason to hate you, that showed me that you were just like your father."

Harry looked down. He knew all this already and it didn't surprise him, but he didn't know where this was going.

"Then your mother sent me the missive that you were not James' son, but mine." Snape smirked with sadness. "It was a real shock, I tell you, because I wasn't expecting it. It took me a little while to actually get used to the idea and then I went to go get you and, well, you know what happened after that."

Harry looked up. Many questions entered into his mind, but remembered Snape telling him not to interrupt so he just nodded.

Severus saw the questions in Harry's eyes, but when he nodded, Snape knew that Harry wouldn't ask them now, and he was grateful.

He plunged on, knowing that he couldn't stop or else he would lose his nerve and not say what he had to say. "The past few weeks have showed me that you are not like James Potter, but more like your mother. You have her kind spirit, the one that I could not see because I was too stubborn to see it, even when Albus told me to look past your looks and see who you really were. However, my pride got in the way and I couldn't allow myself to think that I had been wrong. Now that I see the real you, I can't compare you to James Potter in the same way, but it doesn't change the fact that you inherited several things from your father, including your pension for trouble, but mostly your looks, at least until a few weeks ago," he finished with a small smile.

Harry smiled and started to nod his head, but then he stopped and Snape saw the shock and confusion in his eyes. He looked as if he was replaying something that Snape said in his mind and then shook his head confused. "Sir?" he stopped, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, but I just got confused for a moment, you said I inherited several things from my dad, my looks for one, until a few weeks ago. But you're my dad, so-" Harry stopped, sighing and massaged his temples. "Sorry, it was just the way you said it confused me. I must be more tired than I thought."

"Harry."

Harry looked up and saw something in Snape's eyes that made Harry's breath catch in his throat. Harry closed his eyes and held onto the armrest, as his world seemed to be spinning out of control. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. "Sir?"

Snape took a deep breath of his own and said, "Harry, when I did the potion to send to the ministry, after you and I left to go to bed, I went back to bottle it several hours later and walked in and saw that the potion had not been green as it should have been to show a match, but it was black."

He paused and looked down, bracing himself for what might happen, then looked back up to see Harry's eyes filled slightly with fear and anticipation with about what he was about to say.

"Harry, you are not my son."

Harry stared at Severus, not really seeing him. He felt as if a rug had just been violently pulled out from under him. Before Snape told him that he was his father, before he really got to know the man, he had known that his father and mother had been dead. But then to have his "father" replaced by the man who was his _actual_ father had given Harry a piece of his heart back that he had lost when he was a year old. Now he had that taken away from him and it left him with a sadness and emptiness that his father was once again dead and that he would never know him.

Severus saw the realization, sadness, and pain in Harry's eyes when he said that. But there was little he could do. Harry had felt like he had his father back, his real father, only to have it taken away and left with no parents once again. But before Severus could do anything, he saw the fireplace glow and Albus Dumbledore come out of it with two letters in his hand. The only reason Severus wasn't jumping to horrible conclusions was the look on the Headmaster's face.

Dumbledore walked over to Severus and gave him the letters without a word and left the same way.

Harry looked back at Severus after watching Dumbledore leave with a confused look, then looked worried as Snape's eyes grew wide as he looked at one of the envelopes. He quickly gazed at the other and threw it on one of the unused armchairs. Snape quickly opened the letter but read it slowly. He seemed to be drinking in every word on the parchment. Harry couldn't make anything out on Snape's face, but didn't have to wonder for long, because Snape sighed and looked at Harry.

Then, after a moment's decision he gave the letter and envelop to him. Harry looked down to see beautiful cursive handwriting that slightly resembled Hermione's. He looked up questioningly at Severus, who gave him a nod to read the letter and he started to read.

_Severus,_

_I am so sorry for deceiving you like this; I know you didn't deserve it or appreciate it. But by now I'm sure you understand why I did it. I couldn't let Harry go through everything in his final two years of Hogwarts alone. I wish I could have put my idea in motion sooner, but I didn't have an opportunity to before now. I wasn't able to see much, but I did see that he needs you, Severus. And I saw this opportunity and I took it._

_I'm not sure how all this is going to turn out, really. I do know that something will happen to Sirius, because he wasn't able to take Harry when we were killed, and Remus…well, you know about Remus, he wouldn't be allowed as much as he would have wanted to. Peter. I'm sure you know why he would never be able to take Harry. _

_Now you know the truth, and I'm sorry to say that there will be no more missives after this one. I have done all I can, all I could do: it's in your hands now._

_I hope we meet again someday so that I may thank you properly for taking care of Harry from now on. But until then, thank you. I wish I could do more, for I am forever in your debt, though there is little I can do about it now._

_Thank you, Severus._

_All my love and gratitude,_

_Lily_

As Harry read the letter he realized before he got to the end that it was his mother who sent this to Snape. He was so wrapped up in the letter that he didn't realize that he had tears leaking from his eyes. He turned the paper over, hoping to see something else, and was surprised to see that when he turned the paper over, another sheet of parchment moved behind the one to Snape. He gasped when he saw that the second sheet was addressed to him.

_Dear Harry,_

_You have no idea how weird this is to be writing to the future you while you are up in your room at this moment, sleeping quietly, thought that will likely change soon._

_Harry, I know that your life has not been easy. I don't know if you have been told, but I am a latent seer, that means that I am able to see some of the future, which is why I was able to get you and Severus together, finally. Ask Severus to let you read the letter that I sent him before and it will explain everything in more detail, as I don't want to waste time._

_There is so much I want to say to you Harry, but there is so little time. I just wanted to say that we are very proud of you. _Yeah, we are! _That was your father, Harry._ Like he doesn't realize that from the change in writing styles, Lils!_ Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that, as you probably won't have any memories of your time with us. But I know that you will become a great young man – _Yeah, cause you have my great genes! But all joking aside, Harry, we love you more than words can say. We may know that our end is near, but we've never been happier. We are together and we know that you are going to make it out of this alive and will be alive for many more years to come (not to mention that we will be able to kick some serious Voldemort butt, right?), and that's all that matters. We were devastated of course, to know that we weren't going to watch you grow up, but we know that your life is going to be filled with joy, but also with pain, but you'll do fine, you're a Potter and you'll come through! _Your father is right Harry – _Thank you!

_I'm sorry that you can't see this Harry, but I have just threatened to condemn your father to spend the rest of his sleeping days on the couch if he takes this paper again. And now he is running away from me, well my wand actually, though he knows my words can do as much damage as my wand. But, I'm sorry to have to cut this short, but I need to let you go. You will do fine, and you will win against Voldemort. I have faith in you, my son._

I have been allowed to have the last say because your mother has talked the most, as she has a habit of doing so. Ok, maybe I shouldn't have written that with her right there, I'll be paying for that later though, as she is glaring at me right now. I know that we will see each other again one day, though hopefully not so soon, as you need to have your own family, with a red head of course, and live your own life. Then we will see you, but not a moment later, do you hear me young man? You have made us proud, son, and you will continue to do so, even when we are not there.

Lily is telling me I have to finish it up, but always know that we love you, Harry, and that will never change. We may be in different times right now, but we have a love transcends distance and time, and remember that no matter what happens you are always loved, my little Prongs, Jr.

With all our love.

_Mum and _dad.

Harry finished the letter and after minutes of fighting it, he finally broke down, and clutching the letter, he cried harder than he ever had. The weight of everything that had happened in the past day just came crashing down on him as he finished the letter: Snape being taken, Snape hating him, finding out that Snape didn't hate him, finding out that Snape wasn't his father, his parents sending him this letter, his parents telling him that they were proud of him and that they loved him, was all too much for him to deal with at once.

Severus was at Harry's side within seconds. He wondered what was in the second letter that Harry read. He had been as shocked as Harry to see another letter. _I guess I had been too wrapped up in the first one addressed to me to notice that there was another letter,_ he thought. He hesitated for a moment, not sure what he should do, but when Harry started to fall toward him on the couch, he quickly moved over and allowed Harry to lay down on his lap as he cried himself into exhaustion.

Slowly, Harry's crying lightened and Severus found that Harry had fallen asleep. He looked at the letter clutched in Harry's hands against his chest, as if he was trying to draw comfort from it, and wondered what it said.

A few minutes later, Harry still asleep in Severus' lap, there was a knock for entrance. Not wanting to wake the sleeping teen, he motioned for the portrait to open. When he saw who was standing in his living room now, he wished that he asked who it was before he allowed entrance. Now he was staring into the shocked and angry eyes of Sirius Black.

Snape groaned internally. "Black? What do you need?" he whispered, trying very hard to keep his anger in check.

Sirius was looking at Harry but then looked up at Severus and said quietly, but with repressed anger, "What is going on?"

Severus sighed. "When did you get out?" he asked.

Sirius smirked. "Pomfrey said that I had come along very well, and said I could leave today. So I decided to come see how Harry was, which brings me to my question, again, _what is going on_?"

Snape motioned for Sirius to sit in the chair across from him and Harry. When Sirius had obliged he told Sirius the whole story, about getting the missive from Lily, going to get Harry, telling Harry that he was his father (Severus got a glare from Sirius at that part of the story, but he continued on), then about finding out that he was not his father (Sirius had looked like he could have jumped for joy, but at Snape's glare he just settled for a huge smile, which made Severus' stomach turn), and finally about getting the last missive from Lily.

"Then he turned the paper over and there was apparently another letter, which he read, then broke down. I guess after everything that has happened today finally caught up with him. I'm not sure what the letter said because he fell asleep after a few minutes; he wore himself out," he finished, looking down at Harry.

Sirius looked at Harry as well and then looked at Snape, questioningly. "So now what?"

Severus was about to answer when Harry asked sleepily, "Yeah, now what?"

Severus and Sirius both started and Harry sat up with a sleepy smile.

"Harry," Sirius said, smiling at the sleepy teen.

"You're out of the Hospital Wing! How did Pomfrey let you out?" he asked.

Sirius smirked. "Well, I was deemed fit to be released, so I decided to come see you," he looked like he wanted to say more but decided against it.

Harry looked from Severus to Sirius questioningly. "So what's going to happen now? I mean, now that we know the truth," he said, looking down sadly.

Sirius looked sadly at Harry. The idea of Severus being Harry's father made his stomach churn uncomfortably. But looking at Harry now, he realized why he was so sad. Harry had never known a father, only the aunt and uncle of his nightmares. So when Snape told Harry that he was his father, Harry then had an opportunity to know his father. _But now_, Sirius thought sadly. _Harry now has no living biological father again._

"Well," Snape started. "We can't very well let the Ministry know that James is your father; then we, that is to say myself and Dumbledore, would be in huge amounts of trouble. So, the only thing that I can think to do is to act as if nothing has changed. If we were to just go back to the way things were then it would be suspicious. If you have no objections, that is," he finished, directing his question to Harry.

Harry thought for a moment. _There is no way that I want to go back to the way things were, and besides, if we did then he and Dumbledore would get into trouble. Well, we could pretend that he adopted me, that way we can still be father and son, sort of._ He decided to give his idea to the man.

Sirius looked at the ground. He knew that if Harry said yes to this, he would never be able to have Harry live with him and have _him_ be the guardian of Harry. But then again, he couldn't now anyways, because Snape already gave the potion to the Ministry, there was no way that Harry could live with him anymore. The thought broke his heart, but if Harry was happy, then that was all that mattered.

He looked back up to see Harry looking at him with concern written on his face. Then he saw Snape looking at him as well, and decided that it was time for him to go.

"Well, whatever you decide is fine with me," he said, his voice sounding defeated to his own ears, which made him internally wince. He stood and walked out of the room, a single tear ran down his cheek.

Harry watched Sirius leave with a frown. He was missing something, that he knew, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Harry looked back at Severus, who nodded and said, "Go talk to him, we'll figure out all the details later."

Harry thanked the man and ran after his godfather. Once outside, he realized he was still carrying the letters, so he carefully folded the letters and placed it in his pocket. He made sure they were secure before taking off once again.

He ran down the corridors and back up to the Entrance Hall and saw a black tail fly out of sight at the top of the stairs. Harry sighed, he would never be able to catch Sirius now, he knew the passageways of Hogwarts better than Harry did. Harry quickly decided what to do and he turned back around to walk back down the stairs he just ran through. _Sirius may know the passageways by heart_, he thought, _but I have the Marauders Map, and the advantage._

He quickly arrived at the portrait, said the password, and quickly walked in. He smiled when he saw the confused face of Severus Snape looking back at him.

"Need the Ma-" he paused. "Something."

Harry sighed in relief when Snape didn't question him further. He quickly walked back to his room. He wasn't sure if Snape would take it away from him, but he knew for a fact that he wouldn't be very pleased with the map. So to be safe, he thought to himself, he decided to not push it. He went into his room, went to his trunk and sifted through the contents till he found the map and pocketed it as he left his room.

He walked, again, past Snape in his chair and smiled as he walked by. "I'll be back."

He quickly exited the room and once again ran quickly through the dungeon corridors.

He found the Entrance Hall quickly and made his way up the stairs. He smiled as he saw his friends stepping off the staircase. "Hey guys!"

The trio looked over and smiled as Harry approached. "Hey, Harry. What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing much, going to see Sirius actually," he informed his friends, holding up the Map.

"Oh, alright," Hermione said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"I'll be in the Common Room later, though," he said, walking up the stairs.

"But we haven't been able to hang out with you in ages," he heard Ron say.

Harry sighed, he turned around. By the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces, Ginny hadn't told them where he'd been. So, he had to choose his words carefully or else he would have to explain to both Ron and Hermione and get the third degree. Though he was very thankful that Ginny hadn't told them what happened, he still had to find Sirius. "I know, I'm sorry, it's just that things have unexpectedly come up and I can't come back when I want to."

"Like what?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed; Ron was always a bit dim_. Hey, _he thought,_ he still doesn't know you can't apparate into Hogwarts._

"Just stuff, Ron. I've got to go, I don't have time," he said, running up the stairs, as thoughts of Sirius came into the forefront of his mind. He took out his wand as he ran, pointed it to the map and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He stopped to check the map. He quickly glanced over the map and found himself panicking when he couldn't see Sirius on the map. He did a thorough search of the map and still he didn't see Sirius. He thought of all the places that he could be, but knew that he wasn't there: he would have shown up on the map. There was only one place that he could possibly be, and that was the Room of Requirement.

Stowing the map away, he once again started running, this time with a destination in mind.

Harry skidded to a stop in front of the spot that the door would be. But there was no door. How could he figure out how to get in?

He walked past the spot three times thinking, _I want to find where Sirius is, I want to find where Sirius is._

He opened his eyes and found that the door was not there. Harry sighed; he had no idea what to do. How do you get into the room when the person inside doesn't want you to? He would have to ask Remus how he got in last time.

_I guess I could just knock in the general vicinity_, he thought. So he placed himself in front of where the door would be and knocked. "Sirius?" he called.

When he got no answer he decided to just wait outside till he came out. So he leaned up against the side of the wall across from the 'door' and slid down and sat crossed legged and waited.

He didn't know ho long he waited but he was getting really drowsy. _Must have been all that running and crying,_ he thought. _I guess I could take a small nap, if he comes out I'll hear him._ So he made himself comfortable, still looking at the door, and felt himself slipping into sleep.

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Harry woke slowly, he took a deep breath and sighed; that had been a good nap. He realized that he was laying horizontally and he started to sit up when he realized that he wasn't on the floor anymore, but on a bed. He opened his eyes and sat up and recognized his room. Confusion set in and he realized that he must have been brought here. _But by who?_

Yawning, Harry got out of bed. He walked out and what he saw made him stop in his tracks, his mouth hit the floor, and his eyes bulge out of his head. After a moment he rubbed his eyes, thinking he was still dreaming he pinched himself. "Ouch!" he said, and looked up.

Nope, he wasn't dreaming.

Snape, Sirius, and Remus were all sitting in the sitting room: laughing.

"I've died and gone to an alternate universe," Harry said looking at the three men in amazement.

Hearing Harry's voice, the men looked up and smiled at Harry. Sirius waved at Harry to come sit down, that was when he saw the reason for their laughing: Firewhiskey.

When Harry saw it he was about to go back to bed, he didn't have any interest in dealing with three drunk wizards, but the other two motioned him closer.

"Come on over, Harry!" Remus said, laughing drunkenly.

Harry winced. "You're all drunk," Harry said, appalled, as if it wasn't already obvious.

"No were not," Sirius said, slurring his words slightly.

"We're trashed!"

The other two laughed along with Sirius. Harry looked at the situation and thought rationally: _Every father figure I've ever had is sitting here totally drunk and making complete idiots of themselves. _Harry sighed, how was he going to deal with this? The idea to knock them out became apparent when they all started to laugh again.

"Now what?" he asked stupidly.

"The look on your face, kiddo, it's plicelss…plicesses…" Sirius paused and then decided to take another long swig of the almost empty bottle.

"Don't hog it, you dog!" Snape said, grabbing the bottle from him.

Remus laughed. "Yeah, Snuffeluffegus! Don't hog it! And you are a dog, don't give me that look!"

Harry took this moment to assess the situation and the possible outcomes.

He could knock them out and let them sleep it off, though he would probably get into trouble for that. He could poor water over them, though he'd get into trouble for that too. Or, he could take the bottle away and let them make fools of themselves without the whiskey. The latter sounded much more appealing, until he realized that taking a bottle of alcohol away from three full grown drunk wizards would not be the best plan making it to his seventeenth birthday. He could imagine being chased around Hogwarts by the three men, bumping into anything and everything in their path. He cringed; yeah, not something he wanted to do.

So his only other options were to knock them out or drown them in water.

He decided to try to talk to them first, and if that didn't work, he'd knock them out.

Harry stood and said, "Guys, why don't you go to bed or something."

The three men stopped laughing, looked at him, then started laughing harder.

"Yeah, right! We're having too much fun! Aren't we Loony?"

"Don't you mean 'Moony', Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, that's what I said, Loony!" he dissolved into fits of giggles.

Harry took a deep breath and looked to Snape, what he saw made him sigh and take his wand out. Snape and Remus had their arms over each other and started to sing.

"R-E-F-P-E-C-T, Find out w'a' it means fo me, R-E-F-P-E-C-T, Take care, TCB. Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)," they bellowed together.

Harry gasped. "Oh, no! You are not singing that song!" he said, horrified. He had heard Dudley and his gang singing that song as he beat up one of the neighborhood kids. He had liked the song when he heard it at first, but when you hear it coming from guys who are beating kids to a pulp while singing it, you start to hate the song. "You're probably going to hate me for this in the morning but, I'm not going to take much more of this," he raised his wand. "Stupefy," he said lazily, pointing his wand at each man in turn. Each stopped in mid laugh and fell backward.

"Ouch," Harry said quietly. He knew he couldn't leave them there, so he levitated Sirius and Remus onto the couch. _They can sleep it off there,_ he decided.

He then levitated Snape through the hall and led him to his bed. He pulled the covers down and put the man on the bed. He then pulled the covers up to his chin and smiled at the thought of when he woke up. Harry would never let them forget tonight. He walked to the door and extinguished the lights.

He walked back into the sitting room and smiled as he saw Remus and Sirius huddled up together. "Dogs," he muttered under his breath with a smile. He extinguished the lights there and made his way back to bed.

He fell down on the bed, exhausted. He never knew listening to and knocking out drunks was such an exhausting task. He smiled as he ducked under the covers and thought of the morning: he wasn't going to let them live it down.

The last image he saw was all three of the men knocked out on the floor. He laughed slightly and turned on his side and went to sleep.


	15. Explanations and New People

Hey guys!!! This is the last chapter of In the Way! I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have. I have to thank Nita for betaing for me for this entire story! She's been such a help to me!! And I'd like to also take the time to thank all of my faithful reviewers! I really appreciate all that you have done and said to encourage me through this story!! This is by far my longest chapter yet!! 11,000 words (so I hope you have lots of time on your hands!)!!! I hope you enjoy this last and very long chapter of In the Way!!

**A/N** I have worked really hard on betaing this chapter for you guys because my beta's computer is broken and she can't get to me…so I hope that this is as error free as possible and when Nita gets her computer up and running, I shall post again when she gets it back to me. So, ENJOY!!!!

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Chapter 15

Harry woke up as he heard groaning coming from the sitting room. Harry smiled and got up and very quietly made his way to the door and peeked out. _I don't want to miss this._

Sirius and Remus were tangled up in each other and when they were conscious enough to realize where they were, they looked at each other, gasped, and quickly detangled themselves and stood up. Looking at anything except each other.

Harry laughed and walked out.

"Hey, guys!" Harry said joyfully, turning the lights on.

Instead of returning the greeting, both men's hands flew to their heads and groaned.

"Stop yelling, Harry, we can't take it! And turn out those lights!" Sirius whispered.

Harry bit his lip in his attempt not to smile, but did as the man asked. "What happened?" he asked innocently.

"Firewhiskey," was the only response he got out of Sirius, who sighed in relief that the lights were once again off.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I would have spoke softer if I knew you had a touch of a hangover, Sirius," Harry retorted in shock concern.

"Harry," Remus spoke up for the first time. "We may have a MASSIVE hangover, but we aren't stupid, we can hear the sarcasm in your voice."

"Sarcasm?" Sirius asked, looking confused.

"Yes, Sirius, sarcasm. It's a remark that means the exact opposite of what it seems and is intended to mock," Harry answered, using copious amounts of the word he had defined.

"No one can do sarcasm as well as me."

Harry turned to see a pained look on the Potions Master's face. Harry again tried not to smile.

"Well, I try, sir."

Snape smirked as well as he could with his face in the pained expression. "I vaguely remember you coming out last night after we were completely smashed," Snape told the young man.

Harry smiled. "Yes, well you were all making such a racket that I couldn't help but come out to see what all the commotion was about."

Snape closed his eyes, as if he wanted to erase the night from his mind. "How did I get to my bed?" he asked.

Harry faltered just a moment too long and Snape gave Harry a knowing look. "Well, you see-"

"Harry, you didn't have anything to do with us on the couch did you?" Remus asked.

Harry chuckled guiltily. Then at the angry glares he was getting from all three men he quickly said, "What did you expect me to do? Let you all sit around all night and make complete fools of yourselves? Besides, you could have passed out on the floor. Better I stun you and you wind up on a soft surface."

Sirius looked convinced but Remus and Snape were piecing together what Harry said.

"YOU WHAT?!" Snape and Remus yelled together. Both regretted it as soon as the exclamation left their mouth. They grasped their heads and groaned in pain.

"Heh, I'm glad you guys have such big hangovers, or else I'd be dead right now."

"You bet your arse you would. And don't think you won't regret it…" Snape paused. "After we can run straight without pealing our heads off our necks."

Harry smiled.

"You'd better wipe that smile off your face young man," Remus warned Harry, speaking in low tones.

Harry knew two way to get out of this situation, but he decided that he wanted to make it to seventeen and decided on the safer option to just run away and let the men get over their hangovers.

He quickly dodged Remus and made his way to the door. Sirius wasn't a problem, he was sleeping on the couch again. Snape was too far away to do anything, so Harry made his way clearly to the portrait door and ducked out, but before he ran from the portrait door, he turned back to see Snape running into one of the armchairs and Remus picking himself up off the floor.

Harry laughed himself down the hall and all the way up to the common room. Every time he would calm down he would see Remus and Sirius on the couch and Snape running into the armchair and he would dissolve into laughter again. He thought it was a miracle that he made it to the Gryffindor Common Room, albeit he was howling with laughter, but he still made it. He looked at the fat lady and before he could try to jumble the password out, she flew open to reveal a shocked Ginny Weasley.

"Harry?"

Harry calmed down enough to quickly tell the tale of the previous night and that morning. Harry thought vaguely that he still didn't know what time it was, but he continued on with his story, laughing every little while. Even before he finished he had Ginny in stitches, but he quickly finished his story and they had to lean on each other for support so they wouldn't fall down.

Ron and Hermione came out, wondering what the hold up was and why they were still laughing. They rolled their eyes at each other and drug the two laughing teens inside and onto the couch.

Harry and Ginny finally settled down. Ron and Hermione both looked back and forth between the two who were smiling and still looking at each other. Harry felt a jolt in his stomach as he stared into Ginny's eyes. He wondered what it was but decided to worry about it later and he decided to tell Ron and Hermione the story.

When Harry told them of how he found Snape, Sirius, and Remus drunk as skunks, Ron started to laugh.

"They were drunk? Blimey, Harry, who ever thought of Snape getting drunk," he exclaimed.

Harry shook his head and continued with the story. Harry chuckled as the other three were in hysterics by the time he had finished.

Finally the others calmed down and they exchanged smiles.

"Imagine if you showed that memory to the entire school, Harry," Hermione suggested.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, but I'm already going to be dead, if I showed that to anyone at school Snape would kill me and bring me back just to kill me again."

"Why are you going to be dead?" Ron asked.

"Well, do you think he's happy that I stunned him and levitated him to bed? Let alone the fact that I saw him drinking and laughing with his two 'arch enemies'?" he asked.

Ron's mouth widened in recognition. "Oh. Yeah."

Everyone shook their heads and smiled. "Ron, sometimes I wonder," Hermione said, giving her boyfriend a poke in the shoulder.

"Have you guys had breakfast yet?" Harry asked.

"No, we were getting ready to go when you made your presence known outside," Hermione responded with a look. "And if we don't go now we'll have to wait until lunch."

"Oh," Harry laughed. "Well, I guess we'd better go now, I haven't had anything yet either. And running for your life works up quite an appetite."

They laughed together as they made their way out of the Gryffindor Common Room and toward the Great Hall.

Walking down the stairs, the door to the Great Hall in view, Harry stopped for a moment. He debated quickly and then continued walking. He ignored the looks of his three friends and when they got to the door he motioned them back. He cracked open the door and peeked inside. He sighed when he found that Snape was no where in sight. He opened the door fully and was about to walk in when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, mid smile, and froze. Snape was smirking behind him, one eyebrow raised.

Harry laughed nervously and then walked quickly through the doors and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Within seconds, the other three were sitting with him. Ron to his right, and Ginny and Hermione in front of him. They were all smiling.

"What?" he asked.

The other three shook their heads and started filling their plates.

Harry filled his plate and looked up at the teacher's table and saw Snape sitting there eating his own food. Then he looked up and saw Harry smiling up at him. He gave Harry a small smile and went back to his breakfast.

Harry smiled wider, knowing everything was alright. He turned back to the table and started eating.

"Has anyone gotten there letters yet?" Hermione asked. "We should have gotten them ages ago."

Harry glanced at everyone and everyone shook their heads. "Maybe mum's got them?" Ginny suggested.

"Why haven't we gotten them yet? School's going to start in a week." Harry asked.

"Who knows," Ron put in his two cents as he loaded more sausage onto his plate.

Before he was finished eating he saw Ginny look over his shoulder momentarily and he knew that someone was behind him.

"Harry."

Harry smiled and turned around. "Yeah?" he asked.

"When you're done eating, we need to talk," Snape told him.

Harry nodded his head. "Alright, I'll be there soon."

Snape nodded in return and walked out of the Great Hall.

Harry quickly finished the food on his plate and said, "I'll see you guys later. Hopefully I won't be dead when you see me next, and then maybe we can do a bit of flying."

"Alright, have fun," Ginny told him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

He walked back through the doors of the Great Hall and made his way down the familiar path to the dungeons. He entered through the portrait and saw Snape sitting on the couch. Harry smiled at the memory of just the previous night, but stopped as Snape looked up.

"So, you wanted to talk?" he asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes, I wanted to let you know that you are welcome do come down here after school starts if you need to. I won't shut you out if you need to come down here for something or if you just want to get away from your dorm mates."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. What would I tell them though? If I decided to come down here?"

"Tell them to mind their own business," Snape suggested with a smirk.

"Alright, that works, I guess. What's going to happen next summer? Are we staying here again?" he asked.

Severus shook his head. "No, we will go to my manner next summer. What will probably happen, if you have no objections, is we will go over Christmas break so you can pick out your room and decorate it however you wish."

Harry stared at Snape with a shocked expression but then he smiled. "You mean I get my own room?"

A ghost of a smile passed across Severus' face as he said, "Yes, you get your own room."

Harry smiled broadly. But then he realized something and his smile faltered. "What's going to happen in class?"

Severus sighed. He had wondered when Harry was going to ask that question. "Well, I'm not sure what's going to happen. I have to talk to Albus, but I may not have to go back to the way I was last year. But then again, if the Death Eater's children have already been notified then there won't be any use to act as if I still hate you," he said with a smirk. Harry smiled, it was easier to laugh about the fact that he used to be hated by the man because, now, he didn't hate him at all. "But I will talk with Albus and see what he says, if he says that the children will know then I don't see why we can't change the way the class is run. Not much will change of course, but I will go easier on you."

Harry sighed with relief. That would make things a whole lot more enjoyable. _Hey, _he thought. _I might even learn something in class now._

"But if they don't know, then I must keep up the act, you understand?"

Harry sighed in understanding. "Yeah, I know." Harry thought for a moment before asking, "Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I've been wondering," he stopped, biting his lip.

"What is it? Come on spit it out."

Harry looked up at him. "How was it a surprise when mum told you that you were my dad? I mean-" he paused and smiled embarrassedly.

Severus shook his head. "Well, it wasn't what you think. Your mother and I had been friends all throughout school, and before. Except for the last few years when I got real deep in with the Death Eaters. But before that we had always been friends, doing potions together, 'hanging out' as you like to call it."

Harry smiled. He had a hard time imagining Snape and his mother spending time together.

"When your mother got together with your father," he stopped, looked at the floor for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. He looked back up and began again. "Only a few months after Hogwarts your mother sent me an owl. She said that she wanted a child. But she said she had a problem; James couldn't have children. So she asked me to create a potion that would allow her to have a child."

Harry let what he said wash over him. He smiled. "Oh."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Get our mind out of the gutter."

Harry chucked. "Hey, what do you expect? You tell me that the man that my mum married wasn't my dad but that you were, what do you think my mind jumps to? Fields of wild flowers?"

Severus sighed. "Anyways. When I read that, I knew what she wanted. But instead of her having James' child, I made it so that she would have mine." He shook his head. "I wanted to have the ultimate revenge against James Potter for taking your mother away from me. So I sent her the potion and as far as I knew she took it. Then you were born. She told me afterward that it looked like she didn't need it. So I didn't even think that you were my son when she told me that. Then when you came to school, I knew you weren't because you looked so much like James, almost identical. Then when Lily sent me the missive, there was still that possibility, so I believed her. Now after everything that has happened, I see what she did and why she did it. I can't really blame her."

Harry watched Snape as he finished talking. His eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. Harry felt as if someone just punched him in his stomach as he realized: _He loved her._ That was in itself an awkward thought. Snape loving anyone was something Harry never thought he'd see. Then he felt stupid. _Of course he loved her. He was trying to tell me that from the beginning!_

"So, what was in that letter that she gave you? She asked me to ask you."

Severus looked curiously at Harry. He stood without a word and walked back to his room.

Harry was startled by his quick departure but knew he was going to get the letter.

He came back quickly and sat back down. He gave Harry a small smile as he took the letter out of his pocket. "I'll trade you."

Harry smiled and laughed. He realized that he still had the letters in his pocket, because he hadn't undressed the night before, so he carefully took them out and started to give it to Snape but hesitated. He decided to give it to him. _If he doesn't like it, he needs to grow up._

He and Snape exchanged letters and Harry smiled as he saw the now familiar writing of his mother.

_Dear Severus,_

_I know you're probably surprised to see my handwriting again, Sev, but it is necessary that I write to you. I have to tell you that I kept something from you. Remember when I said it looked like I didn't need the potion you made me? Well, I used it. Harry is your son, not James'. I didn't know how to tell you, I hope you'll forgive me for springing it on you like this and for not telling you before._

_I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you this now and why I didn't send you this missive before. I had to put a charm on Harry to make him look like his father so as not to arouse suspicion and it will wear off when he turns sixteen. Not only will his looks change, but before I did the charm, he had perfect eye sight. So to make him look even more like James I put another charm on him to make him need glasses._

_I'm sorry again, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Please take care of Harry for me._

_Love,_

_Lily_

Harry smiled. Now that he knew the truth about what happened, he could truly appreciate the sly skill of his mother. Though one word jumped out at him throughout the entire letter.

"'Sev'?"

Harry smiled evilly as he saw Snape's eyes widen in abject horror.

"Oh, this is too good! I can't wait to tell everyone the nickname that my mum gave you!" Harry laughed uncontrollably.

He controlled himself enough to look up and see Snape scanning the letter, as if looking for something. Apparently he didn't find it because he went back up to where he was and continued reading.

Harry continued to smile as Snape finished his letter. Harry saw understanding cross his face for a moment, but then it was gone.

When he looked up, Harry offered the letter back to him with a smile. He took it and gave Harry's letter back as well.

Harry smiled as Snape tucked the letter securely away from Harry in his robes. "Tell anyone and you die."

Harry smirked. "Oooo, well that changes everything. I guess I should tell _everyone_ about it then."

Snape gave Harry a look that said, "You just try it."

Harry laughed. "Alright, just Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, how's that?" he compromised.

Snape sighed. He knew that Harry would tell those friends of his, but hopefully it wouldn't spread to the entire school. He knew he could trust Harry not to spill the beans to everyone in school, but he couldn't trust his friends. But there wasn't anything he could do, he couldn't make him not tell anyone, so he agreed. "Alright."

Harry felt brave after his teasing of Snape's name that he asked, "So, Professor, got a girlfriend?"

The glare that came his way made Harry want to stop sitting right next to the man and run halfway around the school. But Harry smiled slightly as he gave the professor a genuine curious look.

"My love life is none of your business," Snape said dangerously.

_Or lack thereof,_ Harry thought mischievously.

Snape glared at Harry once again as he saw the smirk on Harry's face, as if he knew what the young man was thinking. "That too."

Harry glared slightly at the man. But then remembered something. "Sir? Could you ask Dumbledore if I should start Occlumency again?"

Severus blinked, shocked that he would ask such a question, but then he smiled internally. He knew what it meant for Harry to ask about practicing Occlumency again. The last time there had been no trust between the two of them and it hadn't worked out at all. He had done more harm than good. But now, there was a chance that Harry could learn to protect his mind properly this time.

But then he felt rather foolish; how did he know that Harry wanted to practice with _him_? He could be asking if Dumbledore could practice with him. But he would deal with that later.

"Of course," he replied to the question.

Harry smiled; then he realized something. "Oh, I still need to go to Diagon Ally to get school supplies. When are we going to get our letters?" he asked.

"Oh," Snape said, looking as if he just remembered something. He got up and looked around in the armchair that sat in front of him to his left and suddenly stood up clutching a letter. "I'm guessing that this is it."

"Oh, that's what the other letter was," Harry stated. "Can we go to Diagon Ally today to get the stuff we need?" he asked.

Severus nodded. "Of course, but I cannot take you."

Harry was confused for a moment but then realized that if he was seen with Harry and the others that it would be suspicious. Harry nodded in understanding. He looked down at the couch and smiled remembering the drunken excursions of the three men. He looked up and raised his eyebrow to the older man. "Why did you guys get drunk?" he asked bluntly.

Snape's face remained blank. Harry waited patiently as Snape was probably wondering whether or not to tell him. Harry wondered what had made the three men drink so much that they forgot almost everything that happened throughout the entire night.

Apparently he decided to tell him because he stated talking.

"Lupin and Black came here carrying you. They said they found you, outside of the room that Black was in, asleep. So they decided to bring you back. They took you to your room and put you to bed. They came back out and we had a small argument. We silenced your room so as not to wake you up. And what we were arguing about is none of your business," he said as Harry opened his mouth to ask. Harry closed his mouth and looked sheepishly at him.

"We finally stopped arguing and Lupin summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey. We had a few drinks and after that it's a bit fuzzy. I remember him trying to summon more bottles but it wouldn't work; I guess he was too drunk to get the incantation right, so he called that elf, Doddy?"

"Dobby?" Harry asked, smiling at the mispronunciation.

"Yes, Dobby. He called him and asked for some more. Then I remember you coming in and that's it."

Harry smiled. "Well, when I came out you were all laughing and carrying on like you didn't have a care in the world. Maybe you all can get along after all."

"Hardly."

Harry laughed. "What? Do you have to be drunk to have fun?"

"You're pushing it, young man," he warned.

Harry stopped. "I'm sorry. It's just, you don't let yourself have fun. I think that was the first time I'd ever seen or heard you laugh."

"Well, there isn't much to laugh about," Snape told him.

Harry sighed. _There is, you just don't want to see them. Must you need to keep punishing yourself for whatever you feel you need to punish yourself for?_ "Sure there is. Ever heard any jokes?" he asked.

"I have no sense of humor," Snape informed Harry.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, sure. Everyone has a sense of humor. Ok, let's see, I have to know a joke." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about I get back to you on that?" he asked with a smile.

"Sure," Snape said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you go back to those friends of yours and get your plans figured out about getting your supplies. I'll see you this afternoon, I have to prepare some potions for Madam Pomfrey and then go to the Order meeting."

Harry nodded. "Alright. See you later."

Harry stood and walked out the door as Snape walked back to his potions lab.

Harry took out the Hogwarts letter and read it on his way for something to do. He found it rather boring to walk along the halls of the now well known path to Gryffindor Tower alone. Sixth years would be getting ready to take the N.E.W.T's next year, which the thought of it in itself is enough to make an unprepared seventh year want to jump off the astronomy tower. He looked down the list of classes that he had and he hoped it wouldn't be too horrible of a year. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology; it was definitely going to be an interesting year. _Wait. How did I get into potions? Snape wouldn't-_ he smiled as he realized. _I've got to remember to thank him. Now I can still try to be an Auror._

He saw the list of things he needed to get and knew he had to go to Gringotts to get more money because he knew the amount in his trunk would not be enough.

He finally got to the portrait, said the password, and crawled in.

"Hey guys!" he greeted his friends.

"Hey, Harry!"

"Mum just sent us our lists! Do you have yours?" he asked. When Harry showed him his letter he asked, "What classes do you have?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions," Harry told them.

The three Gryffindor's eyes widened. "Potions? But how-" Ron started but was cut off by Hermione.

"Of course! No wonder!"

"What? What? What did I miss?" Ron asked.

"Snape's Harry's dad! Of course he would have him in his class," Ginny informed her brother.

Harry smiled, but then realized what Ginny had said. He never told her that Snape wasn't his dad. He wondered if he should tell them, but decided that now was not the time.

"So, what classes do you guys have?" Harry asked.

"I've got the same subjects as you, mate!" Ron said excitedly looking at his list.

"Well I have Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic," Ginny informed everyone.

"And I have Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Ancient Runes, and Arithmacy," Hermione read off her paper.

_How she does it…_Harry thought, shaking his head but had learned by now not to say anything. "So when do you guys want to go to Diagon Ally?" Harry asked.

"Mum said that she could take us this afternoon if she could ask more people to come as a guard," Ginny told them. "She told us to make sure to tell you that you were invited to come."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, I'll be happy to come."

Ron stood. "Well, we can complete this conversation in the Great Hall because it's time for lunch," he informed the group.

Everyone smiled, stood, and walked out the door and down to get some lunch.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"So when did your mum say that she would be coming?" Harry asked Ginny as they sat down at the table .

"She said she would come around two."

Harry nodded his head and started to eat. He would be able to spend the rest of the day with his friends because Snape was going to be busy. But what would they do? Harry thought as he ate, not realizing that there was a conversation going on beside him.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up and saw his three friends gazing at him, concerned. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"We were thinking of going to fly later," Ron told him.

Harry smiled. "Flying sounds good," he told them.

Watching his friends talk he realized he needed to tell them that Snape wasn't his dad after all. He wondered if now would be the best time; he didn't want to mislead his friends. He decided to tell them before they went flying.

While they were finishing up, Dumbledore came down the isle of the Gryffindor table and stopped at the four teens.

"Yes, professor?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "Molly would like for me to tell you that she will be here at two o'clock sharp and asks that you be down in the Entrance Hall to go to Diagon Ally."

"Alright, we'll make sure to be down here," Ginny told the Headmaster.

Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgment and walked away from the four Gryffindors and out of the Hall.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm stuffed!" Ginny said, leaning back from the table.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, me too. I love Hogwarts food."

"Eah, me foo," Ron said gracefully around his full mouth of apple pie.

Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Of course you love Hogwarts food, Ron. You love any kind of food!" Ginny said in reproach.

All Ron did was smile as he finished his last bite of pie. "Done."

Everyone laughed, and when Ron's ears turned red they laughed even harder.

"Oh, come on," Ron told them, standing up and walking out of the Great Hall.

After composing themselves they followed Ron back to the common room.

When they got to the portrait they went upstairs and quickly got their brooms and then met back in the common room.

"Everyone ready?" Ron asked, clearly ready to go.

"Hang on a sec, guys. I need to talk to you for a bit," Harry told them.

They gave him a confused look but when Harry motioned to the couch and armchairs they sat down without complaint.

"Snape told me something last night that he had known for only a few days. He had to make a potion for the Ministry, so that I could stay with him and not go back to the Dursleys," he explained.

Before he could continue Hermione asked, "Well, why are you not going back to the Dursleys? I thought you were safer there than anywhere else?"

Harry sighed. Images of what happened early in the summer came to his mind. He shook his head, he couldn't explain what his uncle had done. "Don't worry about it," he told them, as he continued with his story. "When he made it, he found that the potion didn't come out as he expected it to. It was suppose to be green, to show that I was his son. But when he went to bottle it; it was black." Harry let what he said sink in before he said.

"Snape's not my dad."

Hermione and Ron gasped, but Ginny's mouth hung open slightly and he saw the sadness and distress for him in her eyes. He appreciated that she knew what was going on inside him, and he gave her a small smile.

"So, who is your dad?" Hermione asked.

"My dad is who he was from the beginning: James Potter." He then told them of how his mother had asked Snape to make the potion for her, how Snape made it so that she would have his son, about the missives from his mother telling Snape that he was the father of Harry, the potion telling him that he was not Snape's son.

Ron stopped him and asked how, if Snape wasn't his father, he still had custody of him.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, I never asked. But I think he did something to the potion to make it look like he was my dad. But it was definitely illegal, so I think it had better just be kept a secret, but if he tells me and I can tell you I will."

After they nodded in acquiesce, he continued. When he got to the part about when Voldemort found out, he wondered whether he should tell Ron and Hermione what he told Ginny. Taking a quick glance at her he saw a question in her eyes. She then looked at Ron and Hermione. He understood: she was wondering if he was going to tell them. He looked from them to her and tilted his head, asking what he should do. She then nodded slightly.

Harry sighed. He told about the pendant that Snape gave him for his birthday, about what it did. He stopped Hermione before she could talk. "Please, don't interrupt," he asked them. "I was in the Hospital Wing with Sirius when I realized that Snape had gone off grounds. I wanted to make sure that he wasn't in his rooms or office before going to Dumbledore. So I left, after telling Sirius that Snape was my dad." At the raised eyebrows of his two friends he nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't pretty. But I left and searched our quarters and then his office. He then woke up from whatever spell he was put under and he said something about pretending to be asleep. I questioned him and he said that he was with the Death Eaters. He had to go and after he did I ran to tell Dumbledore. I told him all I knew and was told not to worry. When I told Remus he said that if I didn't go to sleep he'd come pour sleeping potion down my throat. So when I went to the kitchens, after you all saw me, I knew I had to come up with a plan to get Snape out of there. So when I got to the kitchens and was talking with Dobby, I knew he could help me." He stopped at the looks he was getting from Ron and Hermione. "I was the only one who could go in and get him without Voldemort deciding to kill him. I had to go. So we came up with a plan and stuck to it. Dumbledore found out before I could leave and I left with Dobby; we ran across the grounds and, I guess we apparated to the place he was at. We had a small hitch in our plan, but after that it was smooth sailing. Dobby came into the cell we were in, unlocked the door, and let us out. We made it to the place where our portkeys would work and came home."

The glares he was getting from Ron and Hermione were understandable. He hadn't told them and left without saying anything. He 'played the hero' once again.

"We got back. We're safe now, and if I had waited much longer Death Eaters and Voldemort would have filled that little shack and he would have been dead." Ron and Hermione's glares went to shocked expressions. "Yeah, so aren't you glad I went when I did? If we had waited for Dumbledore to gather troops and try to get in there, Snape would have been dead." Harry stopped, thinking for the first time what it meant that he got there when he did. An evil thought came to his mind, _I would have never seen him drunk._ He shook his head, it was more than that. He would have lost one of the only father figures he'd ever had.

"Harry, you still could have told us-" Hermione tried.

"No. If I had told you, you would have either told Dumbledore and kept me here or come with me. I had already put you guys in danger once this year and I wasn't going to do it again. If you had come, it could have ruined the whole plan and you would have been captured by Death Eaters and I wouldn't have wanted that for you guys. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, but I didn't want you guys worrying anyways," he told them.

"But what if you hadn't come back?" Ron asked.

He sighed. "I don't know. But I knew I was his only chance! I had to go get him. He told me a few hours ago that in a few hours Voldemort himself would have been there! I couldn't allow that to happen if I had the opportunity to do something about it."

Hermione was about to say something when Ginny stopped her before she could say anything. "It's done, Hermione. There's nothing we can do or say that will change the situation. Harry's here and he's safe, and unless we put some sort of tracking spell on him, he's going to do this again if someone else is captured." She gave Harry a look. "No matter how much we might want him to not go."

Harry smiled at her. He felt a rush of gratitude toward Ginny and another flutter in his stomach, but again brushed it aside.

Ginny smiled back, as if knowing his gratitude.

Hermione and Ron shared a look but stopped badgering Harry.

Harry looked at the clock; it was already one thirty. Had they really talked that long? Now seemed like a good time to go. "How about we go down and meet Mrs. Weasley?"

Ginny agreed and stood. Ron and Hermione stood as well, though not as enthusiastically. Harry knew that they needed time to realize what happened and to accept it. He was willing to take their anger.

The walk down to the Entrance Hall was the quietest and longest that Harry could ever remember them having. They made it down to the Entrance Hall to see Mrs. Weasley entering. _She's early,_ he thought.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," Harry greeted her.

"Hello, Harry dear. How are you?" She asked, giving him a hug.

"I'm alright, not ready for summer to be over though," he told her. The other three nodded in agreement.

"Well, you'll all have fun this year and summer will be here again before you know it."

The four friends exchanged glances.

"Well, let us go, Remus and Tonks are awaiting us outside."

They all shared a look but quickly looked away, the urge to laugh was too strong. But when they walked out and saw Remus with Tonks they couldn't held it in any longer and laughter filled the grounds.

The teens were all too preoccupied to see the look of horror and shock that crossed Remus' face. When they finally controlled themselves they saw Tonks give Remus a confused look and him shake his head. "I'll explain later," he told her, wincing.

Harry and his friends chuckled as they all walked toward the gate to portkey over to Diagon Ally. When they reached the gate, Remus took out a broken glass and told everyone to grab hold. "Three, two, one," he counted down, and after 'one' Harry felt the now familiar pull of the portkey.

After picking himself up off the floor, Harry stood to see the wall where they would go to walk into Diagon Ally and he looked behind him to see the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

Before Remus tapped the bricks he said quickly, "I want all of us to stay together, no one is to go anywhere without either Tonks, Mrs. Weasley, or myself. Understood?"

The Gryffindors agreed and Remus nodded in approval. He turned around and tapped the bricks. He turned to Harry as the wall was opening. "Keep your head down as much as possible."

Harry nodded in understanding. They didn't want to cause a scene.

"Where are we going first?" Ron asked.

"Gringotts," Tonks responded.

The four teens and three adults walked down the street talking amongst themselves. The group tried to block Harry from view as much as possible and to everyone's relief they made it to the bank without incident.

Before they knew it they were making their way down the dark and damp corridors toward the vaults. Except for the fact that the wind made Harry's eyes sting, he always enjoyed the ride. He looked over to see Ginny and Hermione smiling too, but Ron looked slightly green with his eyes closed.

They stopped at Harry's vault first. As Harry was gathering his gold he had an idea. He took his money sack and filled it to the brim with Galleons and then stuffed his pockets with the gold he would need for his supplies. He stood back and went back into the cart. When they stopped at the Weasley's vault Harry stopped the goblin and gave him his money bag and whispered, "Could you put that in there when she's not looking?"

The goblin looked at him, calculating, then nodded and took the bag. Harry watched as Mrs. Weasley took the rest of the gold out of her vault and he smiled when she turned around and the goblin discreetly put his bag into the previously empty vault. As they rushed back up the tunnel Harry smiled as he thought of Mrs. Weasley's reaction when she saw the bag full of gold.

The group left the bank and headed to Flourish and Blotts to get their books. The three teens and adults again tried to shield Harry from view as he kept his head down as much as possible. They entered the bookstore to find some of their fellow classmates buying their books as well. They said a quick hello to Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbot, and Neville Longbottom before heading off to grab their own books.

When Harry got to the register the young woman did a double take and smiled at him before ringing him up. Harry sighed in relief as he took the books back from her with a smile that she didn't cause a big scene. Harry waited with Remus as the others bought their books and when they were finished they left to collect the rest of their supplies.

They walked to the Apothecary for their Potions supplies and then to Madam Malkin's to get some new robes for Harry and Ron, because they had grown out of their old ones, and some new dress robes for Hermione. Harry quickly stopped in one of the shops to buy a new watch, as he needed a new one desperately. They had finished their shopping with, thankfully, very little confrontation and made their way back toward the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

But before they could reach the wall they heard a women yell, "Alex!"

The group turned around to see a young boy with brown hair running toward Harry. Harry smiled at the young child who looked up at him and asked, "Are you Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled at the child and kneeled down to be at the child's eye level. "Yes, I am, what's your name?" he asked politely.

The little boy smiled. "I'm Alex and I'm four!"

Harry laughed. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Alex. Where's your mummy?" he asked.

The little boy turned around and the group smiled as they saw him point to a woman in black robes with red hair running toward them with a little girl in tow. Harry stood back up as the woman the mother reached them.

"Oh my, I'm so very sorry about that," she apologized. She turned to her young son. "Alexander I am very disappointed in you! You should know better than to run away from mummy while she's shopping!" she scolded him.

Alex's eyes filled with tears. "I just wanted to say hi," he whispered.

The woman sighed and picked up her son. "You should not have run away from me like that. We'll be having a talking to when we get home, young man." She then turned to the group. "I'm very sorry, he has a tendency to run up to people while I'm shopping. I hope he didn't cause you all any trouble."

"No trouble, ma'am. It was nice meeting Alex," Harry said, smiling at the toddler. Then the other child caught Harry's eyes and she smiled at him. "Hello," he greeted the girl.

"Hi," she said, shyly.

The woman smiled back. "Well, thank you for your kindness. Well, we must be going now, thank you. Come along, Laurie, we must finish our shopping," she called to the girl, turning around and taking her hand.

"Bye, Mr. Potter!" the little boy yelled back as Laurie waved.

Harry smiled and waved at the two children. "Bye, Alex."

He turned back around and gave his friends a questioning look. "What?"

They shook their heads and walked back toward the wall leading to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry saw Hermione and Ginny share a smile before turning back to Remus who opened the wall so they could portkey back to Hogwarts. After the wall closed Remus took out the glass once again and they all shifted their bags as they took hold as he counted down from three.

Harry sighed as Remus said, "One." And he thought as he was pulled along, _I hate portkeys._

They landed outside of the Hogwarts gate and Harry had to reach out for something to hold onto as he fell backward. Ginny quickly caught him and pulled him back upward.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

Ginny nodded. "No problem."

When they entered the Entrance Hall, Harry parted from the rest of the group and headed down to the Dungeons saying, "I'll see you guys at dinner." Remus and Mrs. Weasley went into the Great Hall while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went up to the Gryffindor Tower.

Harry walked back to his home and realized that he probably should take his stuff up to the dorm soon. He made his way down the now familiar path to the portrait, said the password and walked inside.

He was slightly shocked to see Snape reclining in one of the armchairs in the living room.

He looked up as Harry put his stuff down at the end of the couch. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be busy all day?" he asked.

"Well, I finished with Madam Pomfrey's potions and was waiting for the Order meeting to start before dinner," he replied.

"Oh, ok," he replied. "So it's going to be a short meeting then?" he asked.

"Apparently. Dumbledore said it would be very quick, which reminds me," he said, standing. "Now that you're back, that means the meeting will be starting soon. I shall see you at dinner," he told the teen. "Take the bags to your room."

"Alright," he replied, picking up the bags and walked back as Snape went to the Great Hall for his meeting.

Harry walked back to his room and stopped at the door and smiled. He had his own room whenever he wanted. Not to mention a room at Snape's house next summer. He felt a jolt of excitement when he thought about his new home. He walked through the door, walked over to his bed, and pulled the trunk over to it and put all his new school supplies inside.

Harry looked at his watch and saw that he had enough time to take a quick nap before heading to dinner. So he took his shoes off, flopped down on the bed, and fell asleep within minutes.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry woke up refreshed. He got up off the bed and slipped his shoes on and looked at his new watch. _Oops, I'm late for dinner._

He quickly left his room and walked to the Great Hall at a quick pace. He got out of the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall fairly quickly. He felt his stomach start to rumble as he opened the door to the Great Hall. Everyone looked up as he walked in and he smiled sheepishly as he walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"What kept you, mate?" Ron asked.

"That much is obvious, Ron," Ginny told him.

Harry gave her a confused look.

Ginny smiled and gave Hermione a look and she took out her wand and conjured a mirror and gave it to Ginny who held it up for Harry to see.

Harry's eyes went wide and his hands jumped to his hair and straightened his wild hair. He turned a shade of red as he sat down, making sure his hair wasn't sticking up as bad as it had been.

The teens all laughed at Harry's embarrassment. "Oh, come on guys, leave it alone," he told them.

They stopped laughing and Ginny said, "But you looked so funny all red like that."

Harry started to fill his plate and felt someone looking at him. He looked at his friends and saw that they were all busy eating so he looked up to the head table and saw Snape looking at him. Harry gave him a questioning look and Snape shook his head, smirked, and went back to eating.

Harry was confused, but decided to ask him about it later. "So, what have you guys been talking about?" he asked.

"Well, apparently at the Order meeting Remus suggested that we be allowed to ride the train, even though we're already here," Ginny told him. "Dumbledore asked us and told us to think about it and if we wanted to we could take a portkey over and then take the train with everyone else back here."

Harry smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. I don't like missing the train," he said, sharing a look with Ron, who smiled. "Bad things happen when we miss the train, right Ron?" he asked.

Ron nodded his head, his mouth full of food.

The girls laughed at the memory of Harry and Ron's adventure with the Weasley's family car.

"So, it's settled? We'll go on the train?" Hermione asked. At everyone's approval she smiled. "That's good, because I don't want to miss the train either and besides Ron and I are still prefects and we should probably be on the train for the meeting."

They made small talk for the rest of the evening meal and soon the Gryffindors were full and tired.

"Well, I tell you what, I'm voting an early night!" Ginny exclaimed, yawning for good measure.

They got up and walked toward the Great Hall, laughing as Ron tripped over the bench trying to stand up.

It took until they reached the Entrance Hall for Ron's ears to return to their normal pale coloration.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Harry said, parting with his friends.

"Yeah, and we'll do that flying that we missed out on today!" Ron told him.

Harry smiled. "Sounds great! G'night!"

"Night, Harry," his friends called back to him.

Harry smiled and turned around to walk down the dungeons when he saw Snape coming out of the Great Hall as well.

Harry waited for the man and they walked down the dungeon corridors side by side.

"So, what was that look for?" Harry asked.

"Well, you remember our conversation about you being like your father, I said that you inherited several things from him."

Harry nodded, remembering the man saying so.

"Well, that was something you didn't inherit." And at Harry's questioning gaze he continued. "He liked to have his hair messed up, if you remember."

Harry suddenly was thrown back into Snape's memory of when his father had messed up his hair to try and impress his mother.

The guilt Harry was feeling must have shown on his face because Snape said, "Don't worry about it."

Harry looked up and saw the understanding in Snape's eyes and he smiled. "I'm really sorry about that," Harry told him anyways.

Snape nodded and continued walking.

They got to the portrait and after Snape said the password, they walked inside.

"Sit down, Harry," Snape instructed the young man.

Harry sat, hoping that he was not in trouble.

"I asked Professor Dumbledore whether or not the Death Eater's children would know of my treachery to the Dark Lord. Dumbledore said that they would because their parents would have been told to have the children try to get to me sometime during school. He doesn't like spies, for obvious reasons, and uses them to make examples of. If one gets away with spying on him, he feels that others would get the idea that they would not be punished. "

A few students shot into the forefront of Harry's mind that might try something like that. "Like Malfoy, Parkinson, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, right?" he asked, concerned.

Snape nodded sadly. "Yes, like them. Their parents will more than likely give them instructions to find a way to get me out of school and to the Dark Lord."

"So you need to be extra careful."

Snape nodded and sighed. "Yes. But you do as well."

Harry looked at him, confused and asked, "Why? I mean, I know I always have to be careful, but-"

"You helped me escape from the Dark Lord, Harry," Snape reminded him. "He's not going to kiss you for that. And to add onto that, you came into _his_ territory, uninvited, rescued a traitor, and then slipped through his hands without even being tortured by his Death EatersHe's going to want you even more now and will probably try and…" Snape stopped, as if lost in thought.

Harry waited patiently. He knew that it was important that both of them kept their heads down but alert as well this year. But what would Voldemort try to do? _Does he have to be just like Hermione and stop in the middle of a thought just to think to himself?_

Snape looked up at Harry and sighed. "Harry, I'm not sure that you going on the Hogwarts Express is a good idea this year."

Harry's eyes went wide. "But, I _always_ go on the train! Well, besides second year, and look what happened when I missed the train! Horrible things happen when we miss the train!" he echoed what he said to Ron earlier.

"Harry, the Dark Lord might try to take you from the train before school starts. Before I left, he was already starting to get desperate. You defeated him when you were only a baby, and now you're learning more and more magic to attack and defend yourself with. He wants to get to you before you can learn anything that might defeat him." Snape paused. "I believe that this year we should start to train you so that you will stand a chance when you go against the Dark Lord."

Harry liked the idea of training and learning more spells that he could use against Voldemort. Then an idea came to him. "What if we had a guard or something there? Like some of the Order comes on the train to make sure everything is safe. Kinda like we did last year where Moody and Tonks brought us to the station, but this time they would stay and take the trip with us. What do you think?" he asked hopefully.

Snape thought for a moment and finally said, "I shall ask Professor Dumbledore about it."

Harry smiled. At least they might be able to ride the train. "So, about class?"

"Will be changed."

Harry smiled wider. "Awesome."

"And he also said that you should start Occlumency again."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Alright, so when do we start?" he asked.

"I am not sure. Dumbledore didn't say. I'm sure he will be busy until school starts, so I'm guessing sometime after school starts."

Harry looked confused at this statement. "Wait, he's going to teach me?" he asked. "I thought you were going to."

Snape smiled internally and felt something glow within him. Harry had asked for _him_ to continue teaching him Occlumency. "If you wish for me to, I will."

Harry smiled at the slightly guarded tone in his new guardian's voice. "I would," he said simply.

Snape nodded. "Very well, I shall speak with Albus and let him know that we will start the first Friday after school starts."

Harry nodded and then yawned. It had been a very long day.

"Time for bed," Harry said, standing. The nap earlier had helped, but after all the running around today his bed was starting to look very comfortable.

Snape nodded and walked with Harry back to his room.

"Goodnight," Harry said, walking inside his room. Harry was suddenly reminded when he had called Snape 'dad' and wondered if he would still be able to do that, seeing as how Snape was no longer his dad. He looked back and smiled. But before he could say anything he felt his head cleave in two and pain engulf him.

Harry felt someone by his side as the pain started to lessen. He then felt himself being lifted off the ground, by Snape he realized, and many lights turn on. Harry groaned and turned into the man's robes, the lights were only making his headache worse. He felt the arms around him tighten and he had to smile. Despite the pain he felt safe and comfortable, if this was what he had to look forward to when he had these attacks from Voldemort then he would not mind them so much.

The lights went off and he relaxed. He then felt Snape move and start to lower him down. Harry felt the soft mattress of his bed and sighed. It felt so good to lie down on something that wasn't a floor. He then felt the mattress dip at his head and hands find their way onto his head. Harry sighed as the hands massaged the headache away. Harry was reminded of when he was brought to the Hospital Wing and Snape used the same technique to calm him.

He was almost asleep when he heard Snape ask, "Are you alright?" Harry made a slight noise in his throat, hoping the man understood. "Is there anything to be worried about?" he asked.

Harry took a moment to replay that statement and make sure he understood, when he was sure he knew what the man was talking about he shook his head slightly letting the man know that it was only pain this time and not a vision.

"Alright, then I shall stay until you fall asleep," he heard the man say.

_Which won't be very much longer if you keep that up,_ he thought. And he nodded slightly. The last thing Harry knew before he slipped into sleep was Snape's hands massaging his head, taking the headache away more and more until it was gone completely.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Alright you lot, two at a time, now."

Harry waited patiently with his friends and father to walk through the entrance to Platform 9 3/4.

The last week passed without anything huge happening after that bout of pain from Voldemort. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny grew closer together, though Ron and Hermione were closer than either Ginny or Harry wanted to get with the couple. Flying had become an almost daily routine to help prepare three of the four for Quidditch. Ron was improving his self confidence as a great Keeper and Ginny was a superb Chaser.

Harry smiled as he remembered being told that he was Quidditch Captain from McGonagall. She had cornered him in the Great Hall and gave him the badge with one of her rare smiles and a warning to not get kicked off the team this year. He had reassured her and she had left with an approval nod.

Snape had talked to Dumbledore as he promised and because of it he was there along with Tonks, Remus, Mr. Weasley, and Kingsley who were going to be the guard for the train ride to school.

Quickly the groups went through. Tonks went with Remus first, then Mr. Weasley with Kingsley, Ron with Hermione, Ginny with her mother, and Snape went with Harry. The platform was busy as usual and Harry smiled at the sight of the train.

Mrs. Weasley was doing her usual rounds and had just gotten to Harry when they heard. "Mr. Potter!"

Harry broke away from Mrs. Weasley and turned to the yell and smiled widely as he saw Alex running toward him. "Hello, Alex!"

Alex ran up to him and demanded, "Up!"

Harry laughed and complied as he picked up the four year old. Harry looked around and saw the mother of the child sigh and smile at him and walk over.

"Well, it's nice to see all of you again," she greeted.

"Hello," the teens said, remembering the visit to Diagon Ally the previous week.

"I guess an introduction is necessary now," the mother said with a smile. "I'm Cassandra. Cassandra Pepper," she said, extending her hand to Harry.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Pepper," he started.

"Oh, please, call me Cassandra. It makes me feel old when people say 'Mrs. Pepper'."

Harry smiled and nodded. "Well, I'm Harry Potter and these are my friends," he said, motioning to the group behind him. She smiled at Harry and then turned to his friends.

When the introductions had been completed Cassandra then turned to her daughter. "My daughter, Laurie. It's her first year at Hogwarts," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I wish her father had been able to see her off but," she stopped, collected herself, and smiled. "Well, it was very nice to meet all of you and-" she stopped. Harry saw her staring over his head. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. "Severus?" she whispered. Harry turned around and saw Snape, whose eyes were locked with Ms. Pepper's. "Oh, Severus, it's been too long!" she said, walking over to him, giving him a quick hug. "How long has it been? Fifteen? Twenty years?" she asked.

Harry's eyes, along with everyone's else in the vicinity, seemed to bulge out of his head and his mouth drop as the woman hugged their Potions master.

"Yes, about twenty years," Snape replied stiffly. Harry thought he saw a sparkle of some sort flash in Snape's eyes, but when he tried to get another look, it was gone.

"What do you do now, Severus?" she asked.

"I teach at Hogwarts," he replied more comfortably.

"Let me guess, Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts?" she asked, smiling.

"Potions," he nodded.

She smiled wider. "Of course," she said.

"How's Octavius?" Snape asked.

Cassandra's eyes started to fill with tears and she shook her head. "He was killed by Death Eaters a few weeks ago."

Snape looked shocked and said, "I'm very sorry."

She nodded, composing herself. "Thank you, Severus. But I have Laurie and Alex, so I'm not totally abandoned. Octavius is inside them so I'm not alone."

Harry looked between the two adults and smiled. _Well, at least he knows her. Maybe they were friends at school._ Then the thought about it. _I thought he didn't have any friends, besides my mother anyways._

She turned to Harry, as if reading his thoughts. "We went to school together. We really didn't get along, but we knew of each other and were at least pleasant to each other. I was a friend of your mother's actually, that's how we met."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "What?" he asked almost silently.

She smiled tears coming back into her eyes. "Yeah," she laughed slightly. "We weren't best friends or anything, but we hung out and spent time together. She spent a lot of her time with Sev- or should I say _Professor_ Snape," she said with a smile.

Harry smiled at the nickname for his father that his mother had given him. "Yeah, I've heard."

"Would you mind watching those two while I talk to him a bit longer?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, it's fine, I love kids."

She smiled in gratitude and walked with Snape down the train station.

Harry brought Alex and Laurie over to his friends.

"So what house do you think you're going to be in, Laurie?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure," she said shyly.

Harry smiled. "Well, all the houses are pretty good. Well," he said, seeing the look from Ron. "All except Slytherin maybe."

The little girl made a face. "I don't want to go to Slytherin, Slytherin is a very bad house."

The Gryffindors all laughed and at that moment Draco Malfoy decided to walk right by their group and gave them a glare, which made them laugh even harder.

"That's right, Laurie," Ron said enthusiastically.

Soon after Laurie's mom came back with Professor Snape to say her last goodbye's. "Laurie, you be good now, and listen to your teachers and Headmaster Dumbledore."

Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley who was giving her last hugs to the teens. "Now, you all be good, and take care of yourself, understand?"

"Harry," Mr. Weasley called to him. "You know you need to keep your head down this year, right? Don't go into the Forest and don't go out alone with anyone, not even Ron or Hermione. Make sure that you have several people with you at all times."

"But why not with Ron or Hermione?" he asked.

Mr. Weasley sighed. "The Death Eater's children will be trying many different plans to try and get to you or Severus. They might use Polyjuice and turn into Ron or Hermione, so stay alert," he warned.

Harry sighed. "Yes, Mr. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley took that moment to come to him. "Harry, dear. You be good, and stay out of trouble. If you need anything, don't hesitate to owl, alright?" she asked, giving him one of her famous hugs.

Harry smiled and nodded when he broke away from her. "Yes, and thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley smiled back. "It's no problem, dear. Have a good school year, all of you, and we'll see you at Christmas!"

Harry turned to say goodbye to Alex, who suddenly appeared at his knees. Harry picked up the little boy and smiled. "Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye to you too, Alex."

Alex smiled. "Will I see you again?"

Harry nodded. "Definitely!"

The whistle for the train ran out and parents were ushering children onto the train and giving last minute goodbyes. Harry quickly walked over to Ms. Pepper and gave Alex to her. "Goodbye, Ms. Pepper, it was nice meeting you," Harry told her.

Cassandra gave Harry a quick hug before sending him off. "Go on, or you'll miss the train!"

Harry quickly got onto the train and closed the door. He turned around and waved at Alex and the Weasleys as the train started to move.

He kept waving until the families were out of sight. He turned around and walked over to his friends. "Well, we got off alright."

"Yeah, onto another year at Hogwarts!" Ron said, enthusiastically.

Harry smiled as he saw Snape turn the corner and catch his eye. "Yeah, another year at Hogwarts." But Harry had the feeling that things would be very different this year.

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Oh my gosh….11000 words!!!!! Can you believe it???? I can't…lol. Anyways, this was the last chapter of In the Way!! I'm so sad to say goodbye…I may do a sequel, but I'm not sure. If you have any ideas for a plot, email me and let me know! My email is on my profile and you can email me anytime!

For those of you who are reading my other story, A Forgotten Lifetime, I will be updating soon. My plan is by the end of the month (I've got school starting on Monday…fun fun…). I wanted to send another big thank you out to all of my wonderful reviewers!!! I really appreciate all you guys have been saying, it's a real confidence booster for me!! I hope you enjoyed the ride and if you did, let me know! There's a nice little button down there that is just begging for you to push it! If I decide to do a sequel to this, I will put it up on my profile, but if you are curious about anything, or if something does not make sense or if I left something unanswered, let me know!

And last but certainly not least, my wonderful beta Nita! She is amazing and has helped me immensely!! I don't know what I would have don't without her!!


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